Uzumaki Naruto: Konoha Marksman
by MP5
Summary: AU. 6 years on the other side of the world can change a person. In this case, Konoha's Hyperactive Ninja has retired, and in his place is a quiet, loyal, and deadly soldier. What has Naruto seen or done to make him change? NaruHina, SasuOC DISCONTINUED Story is now available for adoption by a better writer than me. PM for details.
1. A Child Dies, A Soldier is born

MP5 Presents: Uzumaki Naruto- Konoha Marksman

Chapter 1: A defenseless Child dies, A Loyal soldier is born

"..."- talking

"**bold**" - Kyuubi speaking

'...' - thinking

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October 10, 1998

6-year-old Uzumaki Naruto was running as fast as he could. Though today was his birthday, It was the one day of the year he had come to hate the most. On this day, the Yondaime (fourth) Hokage 'Defeated' the Nine-tailed fox Demon, Kyuubi no Kitsune. In reality, The Yondaime had sealed the Nine-tailed demon inside Naruto when he was born that day. And though the Yondaime's last wish was to have Naruto treated as a hero, it was not to be. When people learned Naruto held the Kyuubi, they realized that the demon was still alive. Unfortunately, Their hatred for the Kyuubi did not separate Naruto from the Demon, and led them to the thinking that Naruto and the Kyuubi were the same. Thus, as he grew up, he constantly faced discrimination and hatred, to the point where he would be periodically beaten half to death by the villagers. And though he didn't know it at the time, the Kyuubi sped up his healing, which resulted in Naruto getting beaten constantly, because there were no traces of him already being hurt. At the moment, Naruto had just leapt over a fence, which was no easy task, and then fell hard, his legs giving out. Naruto prepared himself for the drunken beatings that always came for him this time of year.

"I really hate this." Naruto sighed calmly as he began getting pummeled. Calmly, because he was so used to this at this point, that it no longer fazed him. Later that day, he was in such bad shape that when he went to the Hokage's office, he was limping up the stairs. Gaining some sympathy from the guards there, they let him into the Hokage's office, into which he took a few unsteady steps before collapsing to the ground. Naruto flopped onto his back, staring at the ceiling as Sarutobi, the Sandaime (third) Hokage rushed over to help him.

"Naruto, What happened to you?" Asked Sarutobi in worry. Naruto sighed and answered in his now-usual nonchalant tone.

"The same thing that happens every year, Oji-san." replied Naruto. "My birthday happens, and I get absolutely wonderful 'presents' from the Villagers."

Sarutobi looked at Naruto in worry. The villager's horrible treatment to Naruto had been so common, that Naruto had simply become jaded from it all. If this continued, the boy wouldn't even care about his own life, which may possibly get him killed. Or worse, Naruto wouldn't give a damn about dignity, which is important to any person. Sarutobi thought for a moment, and made Naruto an offer.

"Naruto-kun, would you like to learn how to defend yourself?" asked Sarutobi. Naruto looked at him with a face that could easily be mistaken for Shikamaru of the Nara Clan and replied.

"As much as I would, I highly doubt anyone would want to train me, and I certainly don't want to interrupt your work, Oji-san." replied Naruto.

"Hang on, Naruto. By this, I meant that you would be going to a military school on the other side of the world for a few years. Not only would you get to see what culture lies far outside this country, but I'm sure it'll be a nice change from the sort of things that happen around here."

Finally, Naruto smiled a genuine smile. "I'd like that very much, Oji-san." Now that he had agreed, Naruto packed up that night, and as soon as Sarutobi gave him a parting gift of some scrolls covering the use of Chakra and fighting techniques, he left Konoha on a Japan Airlines flight to the United States. That night, many thought Konoha had seen the last of Uzumaki Naruto, including the Hyuuga Clan Heiress Hyuuga Hinata. They had no idea how wrong they would be.

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July 25th, 2004, 6 Years later

The buzzing sound of a 4-stroke motorcycle engine could be heard on the main dirt road to Konoha. A Desert Camouflage-painted Harley-Davidson dirtbike with two large olive-drab crates on each side was making its way towards the village gate. Its rider wore a blue cloak and concealed his face with a Boonie hat, Balaclava, and ESS Turbocam dust goggles. The only identifying feature visible so far were his piercing eyes of sapphire blue. As the guards at the Konoha gate watched the visitor approach, they called in their sighting to headquarters just so that someone knew what was going on. Meanwhile, the dirtbike closed in, and the rider came to a stop. Shutting off his engine, he spoke to the guards, who were still wondering who the person was and what the hell he was riding. Soon, they got it together and asked for Identification. The rider produced an ID card from Blackwater Security Company that was designed only to reveal the bearer's Initials, Blood type, rank, and serial number. When the two guards looked up at the rider, he spoke.

"I apologize for the fact that this is the only ID I have." said the rider. "But if you will allow me to do so, I would like to speak to the Hokage. I'm an old acquaintance of his."

"Very well." replied one guard. "You may enter, 'U.N.'-san."

"Thank you, gentlemen," replied the rider. and as soon as the gates were open, he accelerated off to Hokage tower, weaving through the streets as the villagers looked on with curiousity. Meanwhile, the guards were now thinking that they had heard those initials before.

'Could it possibly be him? Nah. I've just partied way too hard is all.' the two guards thought.

Meanwhile, at Hokage tower, Sarutobi sifted through paperwork listlessly. He missed having Naruto around, and the two had not been in contact for three years since Naruto wrote he'd graduated from a military academy in the U.S. that specialized in 4 Special forces martial arts including The Korean Tae Kwon Do (Military version), Israeli Krav Maga (Military version), Russian Systema, and finally, American CQC Knife combat. Naruto could finally defend himself, but did not return to Konoha for 6 years now. Sarutobi figured that Naruto probably didn't want to have anything to do with a village that despised him now that he was in a country that would accept him as long as he kept his inner demon in check. At this thought, Sarutobi sighed and was about to continue shuffling through his paperwork when he heard his intercom buzz. A message from his secretary.

"Hokage-sama, There's someone here who wants to see you. He says he's an old acquaintance of yours." said the secretary. Sarutobi thought for a moment, then replied.

"What the hell, let him in."

At that, the line went dead, and the door was unlocked. In stepped the motorbike rider, who Sarutobi certainly didn't recognize.

"Excuse me, but just who are you?" asked Sarutobi. "I certainly don't recognize you as an old acquaintance."

"I'm crushed, Hokage-sama." replied the rider, who began removing the items on his face. "After 6 years of being apart, this is how you greet me?"

Finally, The motorbike rider pulled his Balaclava off his head to reveal a shock of Lightning yellow hair, whisker marks on each side of his face, and piercing Sapphire Blue eyes.

"Naruto?" said Sarutobi, incredulous. Naruto grinned his fox grin, proving that it was indeed the Yondaime's legacy, and possibly son (possibly, because they had recently gotten DNA match technology) that Sarutobi sent off 6 years ago to help him defend himself. However, Sarutobi sensed quite a few major changes in Naruto. For one, Naruto, while still unpredictable, was a lot more subtle. His years in the Military academy had taught him plenty of discipline, and just now, after giving Naruto a friendly hug, noticed that the blonde stood at attention, eyes looking straight ahead. That was the sort of stance only a Drill instructor could make one do and memorize. Noticing this, Sarutobi changed the way he spoke.

"All right, soldier. Present Arms!" said Sarutobi.

"Sir, Yes Sir!" replied Naruto. Immediately, he removed his cloak to reveal a Tactical load bearing vest filled with spare magazines of ammunition, a pistol, and some grenades. Naruto then unslung the HK MP5A5 resting on his tactical vest and aimed it upwards at a 45-degree angle so that Sarutobi could get a good look at it as well as Naruto's firing stance. He was thoroughly impressed.

"Order arms and At ease, soldier." Sarutobi said. Naruto complied, and set the Submachinegun at his side, butt touching the ground and the barrel pointing vertically. Then, Sarutobi looked at Naruto's Blackwater Security ID and saw that Naruto had made the rank of, based on U.S. Army Standards, Staff Sergeant.

'Perfect Drill Instructor material.' thought Sarutobi. 'All I need to do now is get him the correct uniform for it. Perhaps his knowledge of western combat techniques and weapons will boost our military strength greatly.'

"Naruto, now that you're back, It's almost time to enter the academy." Sarutobi finally spoke. "But before you do, Let's see what you've learned and how effective it is. We'll be testing your combat styles against various levels of ninja. What level would you like to fight against?"

"Jounin and Chunin, sir." replied Naruto. Sarutboi was caught off guard. Sure, Naruto was confident, but going right for the upper ranks? He had a bad feeling about this...

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It turned out that Sarutobi needn't be worried at all. In fact, he should've saved his worry for the Chunin that were currently getting owned by Naruto. The fighting styles he learned were effective to an insane degree, and were just as effective as the Taijustsu of Maito Gai, The Green Beast of Konoha. Sarutobi watched with interest and stepped out of the way when a Chunin, one who hated Naruto way back when, was thrown into a nearby wall face first. At this, Sarutobi had one of the fight course proctors send in the 4 Jounin fighters, all of whom were getting ready to accept Genin students at the end of the coming year, including Maito Gai himself. Looking at the rest of the Jounin, Sarutobi saw a certain silver-haired person reading the hentai novel Icha Icha Paradise. The Hokage shook his head. That particular ninja never took newcomers seriously.

Meanwhile, down in the arena, Naruto took note of the new fighters and saw that they were Jounin level. Having already used Tae Kwon Do and Krav Maga, he wanted to end this battle quickly, so he pulled out his Ka-Bar Knife and his HK USP handgun. He ejected the current magazine as well as the round in the chamber and stuffed the round into the ejected magazine, putting it in his vest for later use. Then, Naruto pulled out yet another mag for his USP, only this had blue tape. He stuffed it into his handgun and pressed the slide release to chamber a round. As soon as that was done, he got into the standard CQC stance, though the Jounin had no idea what it was. Each of the Jounin now had a kunai in hand, and the first one he set his sights on was a bandaged woman with red eyes.

'A genjutsu specialist?' thought Naruto, recognizing the sign. 'I better have plenty of Chakra.' He then reached into the recesses of his mind.

'Kyuubi.' communicated Naruto. 'I need 100 percent chakra flow, 50/50 mix. Set the flow to automatic purge if you sense a genjutsu.'

"**Roger.**" replied the demon. In 6 years, Naruto had acquainted himself with his inner resident and now that the two knew each other well, Naruto could safely let Kyuubi control his Chakra flow when he was busy. Naruto now felt his Chakra ready to burst out when he needed, and saw the red-eyed woman come at him with a kunai.

"They're making this too easy." muttered Naruto. The woman raised a kunai, which he knocked out of her hand with his own knife then quickly slid behind her, his knife to her neck, and he kicked her legs out. Now that their heads were on the same height, Naruto used the poor woman as a human shield and fired his USP at the three men. Each of them took a bullet to the head, the bullets being made of rubber, and were knocked to the floor unconscious. Then, he swept his hostage's legs out from under her and shoved her to the ground, knocking her out. Making sure the area was clear, he safed and holstered his gun and put away his knife. He then looked up at Sarutobi with a smirk and shrugged his shoulders. Sarutobi smiled in return. 6 years away from Konoha did good for the young boy. Soon, after a few more tests, the two were walking back to the Hokage's office, where they were going to find out Naruto's rating as a Ninja. Along the way, Sarutobi asked Naruto just how he pulled off the feat of becoming a mercenary at the age of 10.

"Naruto," asked the Hokage. "just how were you able to work for and get paid by a private military company when you were 10, and furthermore, why?"

"Hokage-sama, It's a long story." replied Naruto. "That story is a long and winding road of illegal activity and secrecy, but with acceptance and comradeship thrown in. Basically, I was shuttled through unofficial and possibly illegal channels to get that job. Of course, having a few favors owed by superiors who like me very much helped."

'That statement only raised more questions than it answered.' thought Sarutobi as he focused his attention ahead. As the two passed through the hallway, they saw the four Jounin that Naruto had defeated sitting on seats in the nearby lounge, each of them holding an icepack to their head. The silver-haired one looked up from his Icha Icha Paradise novel at Naruto, who stopped and saluted. The Jounin simply cocked an eyebrow and went back to his book. Naruto took a seat in the Hokage's office, where his ranking results were announced. The four Jounin, curious, crept up to the door and listened. What they heard left them in disbelief.

First of all, they had no idea the kid fighting them was Uzumaki Naruto, who was said to have left the village 6 years ago, and with him the threat of an Attack by the Kyuubi, but his ranking was just completely and ludicrously unexpected.

"Hokage-sama," said the Data analyst. "According to our findings, Uzumaki Naruto's scores have been averaged, and he is qualified to be and classified as an S-rank Jounin."

As soon as the data analyst said that, the three people in the Hokage's office were interrupted by a loud "NANIIIIIIIIII?!" and a resounding 'THUD'. they opened the door, and saw the four Jounin sprawled out on the ground with swirls in their eyes. Sarutobi couldn't blame them. Naruto being a Jounin was a very disorienting idea. Turning to Naruto, he asked a very important question.

"Naruto, Will you accept the position of Jounin or ANBU?" asked the Hokage. At this, the four Jounin on the ground shot up and watched intensely. A 12-year old Jounin was unheard of, and it would certainly be interesting to have one in their ranks. Naruto thought for a moment and then turned to the Hokage.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" asked Naruto, back in soldier mode.

"You have permission."

"Personally, sir," began Naruto. "I'm used to working for my merits. And as tempting as it would be to accept such a high position, I just want to be treated like every other kid who goes through Ninja academy. So if you don't mind, I'll work for that position by going through ninja academy, even if I have to face a little prejudice, sir."

The room was silent for a minute, then one by one, the four Jounin began clapping, and soon everyone in the entire room was clapping because of Naruto's well thought out decision. Since Naruto had decided to be a Genin, the four Jounin were now arguing as to who would get Naruto when he graduated from the academy. For a while, they were at a stalemate, pointing out the assets each one already had. Finally, Kakashi, the Silver-haired Jounin, dropped a bomb that ended the arguement.

"As true as it may be that I have my eyes set on Uchiha Sasuke because I feel I owe Obito, I owe my sensei even more. Naruto's his only child." Kakashi stated. At this, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Kakashi, then Naruto. Kakashi then broke the silence as he held up a folder to help illustrate his statement.

"I just picked up some DNA test results from the lab, Hokage-sama." siad Kakashi. He then turned to Naruto, a grin forming underneath his mask.

"_**Congratulations, Naruto. You're the Yondaime's son.**_"

Naruto was beginning to cry tears of joy. He was practically at a loss for words, but in his situation, who wouldn't be? He just found out that he is a direct descendant of one of the Legendary Hokages of Konoha. Kurenai, the red-eyed female Jounin, gave Naruto a hug and reassured Naruto that everything was all right.

"Buck up, Soldier." she said into his ear. "You're home now, Naruto."

Naruto continued to let out his tears a bit longer. Ever since graduating military academy, he disciplined himself to let out as little emotion as possible, but when times like this came around, he cut himself some slack and let it all out. Soon, though, he straightened out and paid attention to the Hokage, because it seemed the man had more important things to tell him. In the next hour, Naruto was overjoyed to find out that as the Yondaime's son and his Clan heir, he was now the Uzumaki Clan head and owner of the Uzumaki Mansion, which was close to the Konoha forest. It was well kept, so everything was clean, but it was empty. Next, Naruto also inherited the Uzumaki Family fortune of 20,000,000 Ryou, part of which was built by Yondaime's salary during his term as Hokage. Finally, Naruto was now the owner of a forbidden scroll in the Hokage's scroll library that was written by Yondaime, and it featured clan Jutsu that was to be passed down to each generation. But hold on. If all this stuff belonged to the Uzumaki clan, why wasn't it given to Naruto in the first place? The blonde asked this very question, and a frown came onto Sarutobi's face.

"The council was not willing to believe that the 'Demon child' was related to and even the son of one of Konoha's greatest Hokages." replied Sarutobi. "Thus, until there was a proper way to prove you were the Fourth Hokage's son, Naruto, they would not give you anything."

Naruto was disgusted. He was deprived of all these things that could've helped him in the long run just because the council bent over backwards in the favor of all the prejudiced villagers who beat him so often. Well, now that he had an arsenal of weapons with him and plenty of ammunition, those damned villagers would think twice before messing with a soldier, clan heir, and soon enough, a ninja. Naruto asked Sarutobi to hold on to that scroll until he graduated, and with that, he took the keys and deed to the Uzumaki Mansion as well as the bank card which gave him access to the family fortune. Bidding the four Jounin goodbye, Naruto bounded out the door in his riding clothes, hopped onto his Motorbike, and sped off to the mansion. By the next day, everyone knew that Uzumaki Naruto was back in town.

To be continued...

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Hope you liked this story of mine, and please review If you want me to continue! (not that it matters, but review anyway.)


	2. First Impressions

Konoha Marksman Chapter 2: First impressions

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For Naruto, his first day of school was a chance to flaunt his skills as well. In the weeks before school started, he would often be seen doing 20-minute mile runs around Konoha with 85 pounds of gear on his back. He could also be seen making good use of the Uzumaki Mansion's outdoor gym, often in nothing but a grey 'ARMY' T-shirt or tank top, Combat boots, and Military issue woodland camouflage cargo pants. Often, he would go shirtless because of the heat, and Dog tags could be seen hanging off of his neck. The sight of the sweat glistening off of his well-toned muscles attracted enough girls to him to rival the amount in Uchiha Sasuke's fan club. Hinata was part of Naruto's fan club, having heard that he came back to Konoha. Needless to say, The first time she saw him shirtless, Her cousin Neji reluctantly had to carry her home because she fainted from blood loss. Hyuuga Hiashi, Neji's uncle and Hinata's father, was shocked at first, and eventually smirked when it happened again. He knew the Yondaime personally, and when he learned of Naruto being his friend's son, came the conclusion 'Like father, like son'. Both Yondaime and Naruto attracted the ladies without trying or taking note immediately. Hiashi soon learned to see Naruto as a good person and not merely 'The Demon Child' like many of the villagers did. Hiashi grinned inwardly. If Naruto truly took after his father, then he would be the perfect husband for Hinata.

The first day of school started like any other day for Naruto. After eating a quick Teriyaki beef and rice breakfast, he was out of the house at 4:30 in the morning for his daily run. At 5:30, he was executing a HALO jump towards his school thanks to a modified version of his Father's Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying thunder God Technique), His own special technique called Hiraishin Tama no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Bullet Technique). Basically, he fired a high-velocity bullet into the air and did a one-handed seal for the Jutsu to activate it. He was teleported an amazing 10,000 feet into the air, where he began freefall and sped through the air in the direction of the school. At 200 feet off the ground, he yanked the ripcord and floated to the ground quickly. His classmates watched as he landed, packed away his parachute, and unzip the flight suit to reveal his regular outfit of a Tactical vest, Scarf, Dust Goggles, Fatigues, and Combat boots. Sticking a toothpick into his mouth, he casually walked into the school, followed close behind by his slowly-growing group of fangirls. He arrived in the classroom, some of the boys looking at him and staring him down as he picked a seat to sit in. As he disassembled his USP to clean its parts, his fangirls poured into the room, each of them clamoring to sit next to him. Naruto sighed and figured he'd put an end to this before class started. He turned to the group of girls and made an offer.

"Ok, this stops here." said Naruto in monotone. " I will pick one of you to sit next to me, and the rest of you will leave us alone." The group of fangirls nodded, and Naruto immediately pointed to Hinata. Naruto introduced himself to the Hyuuga Heiress as soon as the rest of his fangirls left.

"Hello. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and my military rank is Staff Sergeant. What's your name?"

"Hyuuga Hinata." Hinata timidly replied.

"It's a pleasure to have your company then, Hinata-san." said Naruto with a smile. Hinata immediately blushed. The boy she had admired for so long acknowledged her!

Elsewhere, Academy Instructor Chunin Umino Iruka got up and began to head to his classroom. He sighed as he began walking, remembering when Naruto, The burdened little boy he had grown to like, left the village 6 years ago. He missed the little blonde bundle of energy dearly, but he knew he couldn't really do anything about it. Maybe Naruto had decided to leave the village for good. Were he in Naruto's position, it would have been an option to consider. As he entered the classroom, he noticed Hinata talking to a stranger in militaristic clothing, complete with a vest that looked very similar to that of Jounins and Chunins, just with more pockets. Shrugging it off, he went through roll call until he came to a particular name. He frowned and looked up at his class.

"All right, whose idea was it to put Uzumaki Naruto's name on my Roll Call sheet?" asked Iruka. "C'mon, I won't punish you, I just want to know why."

When no one answered, he grew serious. "All right, I was willing to be lenient, but now, I will make the class stay in detention if the person who did this doesn't show themselves."

Finally, Naruto made himself recognized. He stood up from his seat and walked right up to Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei," said Naruto. "That's no prank. There is an Uzumaki Naruto in this class, and he's standing right in front of you."

Iruka was in shock. If the blonde in front of him was truly Uzumaki Naruto, then he had definitely changed in those 6 years he was gone. No longer did he see the mischievious twinkle in those sapphire blue eyes, no. He now saw the nearly-emotionless eyes of a Disciplined soldier and even a combat veteran who may have seen unspeakable acts during his career. He would have to find out what happened over the years when he had the chance. And so, the class continued as it was supposed to. They covered what Chakra is and how to use it, but since Naruto already knew this, he simply watched the lecture until they stopped for a 1-hour lunch break. As soon as they were dismissed, Naruto went outside and dug into his pack. Pulling out an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat), he slashed it open with his knife, and everyone looked on as he dug through what they thought to be an odd-looking _bento_(lunchbox). Having dumped out the contents, he searched frantically through it and frowned.

"Dammit! There's no ration heater." Naruto said, frustrated. "Guess I'll be going out for ramen..."

Turning to his classmates that were outside, he made an offer.

"Anyone wanna get some Ramen with me? My treat!"

Soon, Naruto and a few other of his classmates were introducing themselves to each other over bowls of Ramen at Ichiraku's Ramen Bar. The five that were with him were the pineapple-haired Nara Shikamaru, the rotund Akimichi Chouji, the dog-like Inuzuka Kiba, the silent bug-master Aburame Shino and last but not least, the revenge-obsessed Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto liked the first three people, but Sasuke was not making a good first impression. For starters, he was the cockiest of the bunch and openly stated that he had more potential than everyone else in his immediate prescence. Then, he said that he was his clan's avenger; everyone else should stay out of his way, because they'll only hinder them Finally, as a personal insult to Naruto's upbringing, Sasuke called him a 'Gunryo gaki' (Army Brat). Naruto sighed. If he was going to be paired on a particular team, he certainly didn't want to be with Sasuke. He quickly finished his meal, not wanting to hang around the Uchiha boy for much longer, and bid them a good day. He leaped off into the village from rooftop to rooftop, taking in key tactical defense points around the village. His knowledge of military tactics would be invaluable, and with his connections in Blackwater Security, Konoha village would soon be more than just a ninja village. It would be a military superpower bristling with powerful weaponry and well as the latest technology. Most of the other Ninja villages weren't expanding their horizons much further than the major elemental countries, and Naruto, who had spent time on the other side of the world and planet, would soon be a major advantage for Konoha because he knows things no one else does. As he took note of particular areas around Konoha, he jotted down what he had planned for those particular defense points. He had everything listed and went through the list when he was back in the classroom, waiting for everyone else to arrive. He also pulled out a Laptop and figured out how many Ryou, which was listed on the World Currency Chart, it took to reach a Dollar, and then a Euro. He smiled when he found out that since it was a rare currency in general -because no one used it outside of the hidden elemental countries- it was worth $2 U.S. dollars and 1.50 Euros. Closing the laptop, he calculated how much everything would cost. Because he worked in such a dangerous field, Mercenaries/Private Contractors in Blackwater Security usually earned $20,000 per week. 3 years of hard work made him rich. His work was found to be top notch and thus was one of the most popularly requested Mercenaries in the history of Blackwater Security. History aside, Naruto was able to earn an amount of money that matched a tenth of the U.S. military budget for one month. His next plan was to buy mostly surplus vehicles and weapons for Konoha, and maybe a few newer ones. If he could ask Sarutobi about the military budget for Konoha, he would find a way to make use of it. Right now, he was still going through the list of vehicles and weapons he planned to purchase.

"Hmm, since refurbished LAV-25's are available for cheap, I can afford 10 of those." said Naruto, thinking out loud. "Then, I can import and modify some old T-62 tanks from Russia to make for heavy firepower, and-"

"Naruto, what are you doing?" asked Iruka. Students were beginning to head into the classroom, and some of them were watching what Naruto was doing.

"I'm making a checklist of weapons to order for Konoha." replied Naruto. "On my way back from lunch, I looked at some key tactical defense points and figured out what should be done with them to propel Konoha to the top in terms of Military power. The other countries certainly aren't doing anything with modern technology, so why don't we take the initiative?"

"That's kind of you Naruto," said Iruka. "But do you really find this stuff necessary? And have you thought of how Konoha's military is going to pay for this stuff?"

"I've got it all figured out Iruka-sensei." replied Naruto. By this time, everyone in the classroom was paying attention to their little debate. "I looked at exchange rates for Ryou compared to the rest of the world's currency, and found that our currency is so rare, we'd be able to afford these items easily! Also, we'll be saving money by not buying anything absolutely brand new, instead, I'm looking for surplus and refurbished vehicles and weaponry." As soon as Naruto finished speaking, Iruka looked around and saw that everyone was paying attention to their discussion. This gave him an idea.

A few minutes later, most of, if not all the students in the Ninja academy were outside watching a presentation by Naruto, who had been asked to bring over his weapons. There were a few watermelons around the area, and Naruto intended to use them as targets. He even made realistic clones of the watermelons, which would have a delay before disappating. When the other students were settled down, Naruto pulled out his first weapon of choice, A Barrett M82A1 Anti-Material Rifle.

"Now here is one of the more high-powered weapons Konoha's military will soon have in its possession." began Naruto. "The Barrett M82A1 rifle is an extremely powerful long-range weapon. Having used it myself, I can back up the manufacturer's claim of the rifle having an effective range of up to one mile. It has a large caliber round, specifically the .50 Browning Machine Gun round, and is used as a tool to destroy explosives from a safe distance. But enough about that, let's see how well it can destroy stuff. Cover your ears, because this thing is loud."

The boys in the audience cheered. They got out of class to see Some mindless, wanton destruction of random produce by weapons they'd never seen before. Many clamped their hands over their ears and Naruto pulled the trigger, The loud BOOM of the rifle still audible despite the audience's hearing protection. A loud SPLAT was heard, and suddenly, the front row of the audience was covered in watermelon juice and rinds. The girls were disgusted, while the boys yelled in approval, with shouts of "All Right! Violence!" and "Do it Again!". More Watermelons were set up in place of the one Naruto had just destroyed, And Naruto hauled out an AK-47 Para from his weapons crate. He opened the folding stock and put the butt to his shoulder, aimed at two Watermelons placed in a single file line and blew them both away by using up an entire magazine. More cheers of approval rose from the crowd. Finally, Naruto pulled out a very unique handgun from his personal arsenal of weaponry. It was given to him as a token of appreciation by Hellsing Special Operations Agency in Great Britain when he was hired to help them dispatch some...Inhumane... enemies. The gun in question was a Hellsing Armory 'Hellfire Fox' M1911A1, which was a custom made handgun chambered for .454 Casull rounds, with IPSC race (competition) gun components, including a Parkerized Aluminum slide, Compensator, lightweight trigger, 2x magnification/quick aim scope, and Ring hammer. The gun itself mainly used 9-round extended capacity magazines plus one round already in the chamber. It was Naruto's most favorite handgun, and he kept it meticulously well-oiled and clean. Next to a .50AE Desert Eagle he also possessed, it was his most powerful pistol, and he bought countless rounds of ammunition for it. Most times, he kept it in a second holster on his person, usually on his thigh holster. However, he put it in its case on his way to Konoha, because the vibration from the motorcycle would rattle his scope settings out of place. Now that he had it out, he showed it to the audience and spoke about it.

"Now, this gun isn't part of Konoha's future arsenal, but I simply wanted to show you what else I've got in terms of weaponry. This is a custom-made handgun, and it uses a round only slightly less powerful than the Barrett M82. I would like you all to see, however, how devestating a pistol can be at close range." said Naruto. With that, he aimed his beloved handgun at 10 Watermelons lined up horizontally. Without aiming sideways, he blew them off their pedestals with large but neat holes in their centers of mass. Splatter was minimal, but the audience was amazed at the large holes in the Watermelons. Naruto relaoded the gun and closed the slide by thumbing the release and he placed it in his thigh holster, which could accomodate the scope without disturbing its settings. The audience clapped, and Naruto eventually spoke once more.

"Since there's only 30 minutes left in the school day, I'd like to close with a video featuring the battle vehicles Konoha will have if my modernization plan is successful." said Naruto. He pulled out a TV remote, and pressing a button, a shade rose out of the ground and shielded everyone from sun glare. An image was suddenly projected onto the shade, and Naruto pressed another button on the remote to cue half an hour of tank and APC battle footage. When the day was done, many of the kids went home ranting about how cool the weapons were. Naruto, meanwhile, invited Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, and Chouji over to his house so that they could hang out for a little bit. On their way to the Uzumaki Mansion they encountered Uchiha Sasuke in a rather unfriendly way. The group was walking on the approaching path when suddenly, a kunai stopped Naruto in his tracks, forcing the group to back away. Then, out of the shadows came Sasuke himself. Naruto already had his hand on his Hellfire Fox pistol when Sasuke plucked the kunai out of the ground.

"You're lucky that was a blunt kunai, _gunryo-gaki_." said Sasuke with a smirk. "You would've cut yourself if it were a sharp one." Naruto frowned. He was really beginning to detest that nickname. Naruto then smirked and came up with the perfect retort.

"You're one to talk, Sasuke." said Naruto. "A Kunai wouldn't have done shit. You're lucky I didn't open fire on you, or you wouldn't be around any longer to kill Itachi." Sasuke growled. The army brat dared to mock his quest? He was the last goddamn Uchiha!

"Enough talk." said Sasuke, getting serious. "I'm going to test how well you can fight, right here and now." With that, Sasuke charged at Naruto with a sharp Kunai in hand. Naruto simply exhaled and parried Sasuke's Kunai with his Ka-Bar and used a palm thrust with his gun still in hand to hit Sasuke in the chin, sending his head up and back rather violently, in the same manner as one would get whiplash, and then swept the Uchiha's feet out, sending him to the ground. Before Sasuke could react, Naruto had his knife at Sasuke's neck and his pistol pressed up against Sasuke's nosebridge. Killer intent, and a huge amount of it, was now radiating from Naruto. Sasuke stared into the same eyes many an enemy soldier had seen in their dying moments; those eyes of piercing blue were always the last a person killed by Uzumaki Naruto would ever see.

"You would be well advised not to question my abilities, Uchiha-san." said Naruto in cold monotone. "I have no time for you to trifle with me through these silly games. If I didn't feel sympathetic to your cause, You would not be able to complete even an inkling of a thought because pieces of your brain will be floating in a bowl of ramen right now. How could that be possible? You're too damn arrogant and I grow tired of it. Good day."

With that, Naruto walked off, his guests following but keeping their distance, save for Shino. Sasuke meanwhile, got up and rubbed his neck. Though he would not show it externally, he was now thoroughly frightened by Naruto. The knife and gun threats certainly didn't help. Perhaps he would try to make amends with Naruto. The blonde certainly didn't seem like one who would get in his way.

Meanwhile, back at The Uzumaki Mansion, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, and Chouji took in their surroundings. Naruto's home was huge. Snapping them out of their daze, Naruto motioned for them to follow him. They were led to a room and area with Chain-link fence enclosing the area. Suddenly, Naruto passed out hearing protectors and goggles to the group. Shikamaru was confused.

"Naruto, what are these for?" he asked. Naruto turned to him and a twitch at the corner of the blonde's lips hinted at a smile.

"Those hearing protectors and goggles are so that you guys can use _these_." Naruto replied semi-cryptically. With that statement, He smacked his fist on a metal shutter that operated similarly to a garage door. It flew upwards, and 3 pairs of eyes widened, and one pair of eyebrows shot up. Behind Naruto was a large selection of guns from all over the world: Germany, Austria, Britain, Russia, The United States, China, and even Singapore, just to name a few. Kiba's eyes darted to and fro, soaking in the entire collection like a sponge. Then, he began hyperventilating and drooling, and then he passed out, his legs flying into the air before joining the rest of his body on the floor. Chouji, meanwhile stopped eating his chips to utter the statement on the entire group's minds.

"That's a lot of guns."

To be continued...

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Hope you liked this chapter! I plan to continue work on 'Of Kunais and PETs', so it might take a while to post chapters for this or any of my other fics.


	3. Graduation, Revelation, and tests

Konoha Marksman Chapter 3: Graduation, Revelations, and Team tests

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9 months after Naruto's first day at school, the time had come to graduate from Ninja Academy. In that span of time, the relationship between Naruto and Hinata grew, and was on almost on the verge of turning into romance. Often, Naruto passed by the Hyuuga mansion so that Hinata could join him on his morning run. This morning was just like any other; Naruto passed by the Hyuuga Mansion to allow Hinata to join him on his morning run, they ran a mile, went to his house for breakfast and a quick shower, then it was off to school.Today was the final exams, in which the main test would be mastery of two basic skills, Bunshin no Jutsu and Henge no Jutsu. They began it right away, and soon, it was Naruto's turn. Sasuke had just finished his test, having created a group of Iruka's that began sparring. He smirked as he passed Naruto, sure that he wouldn't be beaten. Not reacting, Naruto got up and went down the stairs while Sasuke sat down looking very smug and pleased with himself. He heard the entire class giving applause, however, and looked up to see that Naruto had made 4 Irukas dressed in the uniform and equipment of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force Ranger Platoon. That wasn't all. They were deployed in tactical stances at the drop of a pin, and then a 'terrorist' version of Iruka rushed into the room with an AK-47. Immediately, one of the JGSDF Iruka clones pushed the 'terrorist' AK-47's barrel towards the ceiling then clotheslined the terrorist, sending him to the floor. Immediately, the rest of the Iruka clones restrained the terrorist, and the class broke into more applause. As soon as the clones took a bow, they were dispelled and Naruto undid his Henge. Iruka gave him a 100 percent score, allowing Naruto to become Rookie of the Year along with Sasuke. Naruto graciously accepted his Hitai-ate, which he fastened around his forehead. Sasuke, meanwhile, was in shock. How could the army brat even _qualify_ for Rookie of the Year? Well, it still wouldn't matter. The Uchiha clan was and always will be superior to any other clan.

Later, when Ninja Academy ended, the students went outside and were greeted by their parents. While glared at by many parents, Naruto was congratulated by the parents of the 14 major clans. Their children spoke very highly of him, even Sakura, who had a sort of bitter respect for him. As they filed away, Naruto sat on the swing to simply calm himself and think of what he wanted to do next. His thoughts were interrupted when Mizuki, a white-haired Chunin instructor, appeared in front of him. Mizuki had an offer for Naruto.

"Naruto-san," began Mizuki with an odd glint in his eye. "Would you like to go on a mission for me? I heard that you used to work as a mercenary, so I thought should pay you to acquire a scroll from the Hokage library. How does that sound?"

Naruto immediately knew something was up. He decided he'd play along and find out what Mizuki wanted.

"Mizuki-sensei, I need intel before I can do the job." said Naruto. "What is the scroll in question?"

"I'm glad you asked, Naruto. It's actually the Fourth Hokage's Forbidden Scroll."

Naruto grew angry but didn't show it. He couldn't believe the gall this bastard had! That scroll belonged to the Uzumaki Clan! Evidently, Mizuki didn't think much of the Fourth Hokage. 'Well,' Naruto thought, a grin forming. 'I'll show this guy what happens if you insult my father...'

Naruto accepted the mission under false pretenses and upon making sure Mizuki was out of sight, went to the Hokage tower and notified Sarutobi about the plan. They then made a plan of their own, involving a staged theft of the forbidden scroll. Sarutobi had already made it clear to Naruto that he could take home the scroll anytime, seeing as it belonged to him. That would actually go in accordance with his plan to expose Mizuki for the traitor he truly was...

Later that night, Naruto put his plan into action. Creeping into the Hokage's office, he knocked out two guards using Systema style. Barging into the office itself, he pulled out a roll of tape and an adult magazine. He quickly popped up behind Sarutobi and plastered the centerfold right in Sarutobi's face and used the tape to secure it to the Hokage's head. Sarutobi immediately began running around with muffled shouts before his nose suddenly bled and he passed out. Naruto grabbed the Uzumaki scroll and dashed off to his house. He only had a few minutes to switch the Uzumaki scroll for the disguised surprise he had for Mizuki.

Naruto appeared in the clearing with the disguised object mounted on his back. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he sat down at a nearby tree, ripped open the velcro holding the scroll closed, and began to read. From afar, one would assume Naruto was reading jutsu instructions. Finally, a few minutes later, Iruka showed up and caught Naruto reading the 'scroll'. Not looking up, Naruto closed the paper and spoke to Iruka.

"Heh, Looks like you caught me, Iruka-sensei." said Naruto. "I only learned one jutsu."

"Nevermind that, Naruto-kun." replied Iruka, still puzzled. "I want to know what you're doing out here with the Fourth Hokage's forbidden scroll. And please look at me when you speak."

Sighing, Naruto turned and looked Iruka in the eyes. Iruka was immediately starled upon seeing those cold, blue eyes.

"Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei offered me a chance to be paid for testing my shinobi skills by acquiring this scroll for him. Now, I'm waiting for him so that I can recieve my payment."

"But Naruto, you're not gonna give it to him, are you?"

"Of course not! This was simply a test! I'm loyal to Konoha and am not going to let him have it!"

Suddenly, the two were interrputed when a few kunai pinned Iruka to the tree. Naruto barely reacted; this was to be expected. Mizuki stood up on his tree branch, grinning evilly.

"Really now, Naruto?" said Mizuki. "What makes you think you can stop me from simply taking it?"

"Simple, Mizuki-sensei." replied Naruto. "First off, you're lazy, since you had me steal it when you could've done it yourself, and second, I'm loyal to Konoha. I'm no goddamn traitor."

At this, Mizuki laughed and then sneered at Naruto, rightfully confused, yet somewhat knowing where this was going.

"Why be loyal to a village that hates you for living, Naruto, why? Just give me the damn scroll so that you spare yourself some trauma."

Iruka's eyes widened. He knew exactly what Mizuki was going to tell Naruto.

"Naruto, take the scroll and run! I'll distract Mizuki!"

"Oh, come off it, Iruka, you know you hate him too."

"Bullshit, Mizuki-teme!" shouted Naruto. "I've known the man ever since I was four! He's been nothing but nice to me, whereas the other fucking villagers treated me like shit!"

"And do you know why those 'other fucking villagers' hate you so much?"

"MIZUKI, DON'T SAY IT! IT'S FORBIDDEN!"

"THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, IRUKA! I'M TELLING HIM ANYWAY! NARUTO, THE VILLAGE HATES YOU BECAUSE THE KYUUBI RESIDES WITHIN YOU! YOU'RE THE KYUUBI, NARUTO!"

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CAPTAIN OBVIOUS! I'VE ONLY KNOWN HIM FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS NOW!" shouted Naruto. "Now I'd appreciate it if you stopped shouting. You're making me deaf."

At that, the jaws of the two Chunin instructors dropped. He _knew_? Mizuki shook it off, once again undaunted.

"It doesn't matter! I'm taking that scroll! It's not like it _belongs_ to you, Naruto."

Naruto stood up and propped up the 'scroll' with his right hand.

"That's where you're wrong, Mizuki-teme." said Naruto darkly. "If you'd done your homework, you'd have found out that recent DNA evidence proves that I am the son of the Yondaime Hokage. Thus, the scroll is rightfully mine. But, you chose not to look into it and automatically assume what you just did. And tonight, your ignorance..."

Naruto kicked up the scroll, got down on one knee, and put the scroll on his shoulder and held it like a rocket launcher.

"...Is going to cost you your life."

Naruto squeezed a hidden panel on the 'scroll' and a 23mm rocket shot out of the center tube that on regular scrolls, kept the paper rolled up. Mizuki barely dodged the rocket as it blew the tree he stood on into splinters. Naruto took the fake scroll and strapped it to his back with shoulder straps similar to that of a backpack. He spun it around and popped open two panels, one on the left side, one on the right side. Unzipping his cloak, he revealed a bulletproof vest and two shoulder holsters each carrying an unloaded and customized Glock 18 Select-fire pistol with an integrated recoil compensator and quick detach silencers. Naruto reached into the back of the holsters and detached the silencers from the Glocks, whose slides were locked back, proving that they were empty. As he did this, Naruto spoke.

"I've dealt with traitors more times in my career than I'd like to mention. Now normally, they usually betrayed their country or something, and I'd kill them quietly and cleanly. So congratulate yourself, Mizuki-teme. Not only have you insulted my lineage and betrayed Konoha, but you're the first of my victims to ever have a loud and nasty death!"

Naruto slammed the magazine wells of his Glock 18's onto protrusions coming from the panels he'd opened. When he pulled his pistols away, Naruto revealed that the protrusions were actually the magazine-shaped feeding mechanisms of retractable Minigun-style hoppers that held specially-made belts of 9mm ammunition. Naruto pressed the slide release levers on his pistols, chambering the first round on each belt of ammo. He aimed both guns at Mizuki, who completed Kage Bunshin no Jutsu just as Naruto set the selector switches to full automatic. The clones pulled out Kunais and jumped down at Naruto, who said an old adage for any warrior.

"Tsk, Tsk, Mizuki-teme. The first rule of modern armed combat is that you never bring a knife to a gun fight."

Naruto held down the triggers of his pistols and each bullet destroyed the oncoming clones until a burst hit Mizuki himself in the chest.With Mizuki clutching his chest as he lay on the ground, not a word was exchanged as Naruto planted his boot on Mizuki's hand and chest and put down the traitor like a bad dog. Naruto took his foot off the now-dead body and pressed the magazine release buttons on his Glock 18's. The feed mechanisms dropped out of the guns and retracted back to their normal position and the panels automatically shut over them while Naruto cleared the chambers of his guns. Plucking Iruka off the tree, they both walked away from Mizuki's body. Naruto knew that Sarutobi saw all this through the crystal ball and would send a team to dispose of Mizuki's body. After a bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's, Iruka and Naruto parted ways and Naruto headed home to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

The next day, Naruto and Hinata went about their usual morning routine. However, when Naruto told Hinata what happened last night, she did something never done before in the time he spent with her. She hugged him tightly, her tears dropping onto his shoulder out of pure worry for his well being. Naruto blushed, and after hearing the click of a camera, so did Hinata. The two whirled around to see Yamanaka Ino running in the direction of the academy with a Polaroid camera hanging from her shoulder. Hinata paled slightly.

"Oh, no!" said Hinata, burying half her face in her hands. "Now everyone's going to think we're going out!"

Suddenly, she felt Naruto kiss her cheek. Though it was for a brief second, Hinata flushed as if she had openly made out with Naruto. Looking at him, he smiled at her and spoke.

"I wouldn't mind it if it really were that way, Hinata-chan." said the former mercenary. Offering his arm, Hinata timidly accepted it and walked to the Academy. When they arrived, Ino was showing everyone else the picture. Kiba looked up to see Naruto and Hinata walking up to them side by side. Getting suspicious, he asked them a question.

"Naruto, this has got to be total bull, but is it true according to Ino that you and Hinata-chan are dating?"

Naruto was about to answer when Hinata suddenly swept him off his feet and kissed him right on the lips. Standing him up and pulling away from him, she giggled in a very out-of-character manner and still smiling, said

"D-Does that answer y-your question?"

Naruto was blushing furiously. Something has made Hinata change, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. Meanwhile, Kiba's eye twitched. He liked Hinata and was extremely jealous of Naruto at this point. Shino and Akamaru did their best to hold him back and keep him from rushing Naruto.

Minutes later, Uchiha Sasuke entered the room and sat next to Naruto, albeit keeping a seat between them. Naruto now had his feet up on the desk as he polished his Glock 18's, which were Two-tone silver and black with a nickel-plated slide. His fake scroll weapon was on the floor next to him. But wait, that wasn't all. Since Naruto now had a tactical vest, His MP5 was with him along with a pair of STI Tactical 5.0 pistols that were holstered in his vest holster and left leg holster, plus his Hellfire Fox .454 Casull, carried in his right leg holster. All the boys in the class were looking at him funny at this point. Why and how the hell was Naruto carrying so many guns?

That question would be left unanswered as Iruka walked into the room. One student asked about the absence of Mizuki.

"Iruka-sensei, where's Mizuki-sensei?"

"He's dead. Apparently, he tried to betray the village and steal the Yondaime Hokage's forbidden scroll."

"Who killed him?"

"Naruto did. If you keep track of the news, you'll have learned that he was killed by 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition."

At this, everyone looked at Naruto, who was now spinning his Glocks before holstering them. The class was a little unnerved by this. Soon, the teams were announced, and Naruto was a little disappointed when he found out he couldn't be on the same team as his beloved Hinata-chan. When Iruka announced his team, however, he had a pretty negative reaction towards it.

"Team 7: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto."

At this, Naruto began banging his head against the desk repeatedly. The last thing he wanted was to be paired with _those_ two.

"Something wrong, Naruto?" asked Iruka.

"Yes." replied Naruto. "I sense major inability and outright refusal from my assigned teammates to work with me. Sasuke plain hates my guts and naturally, so does Sakura-san. Please, Please, put me on another team."

"Sorry, Naruto." said Iruka. "We had nowhere else to put you."

Naruto sighed, resigning to his fate. He produced an XM84 Flashbang from his vest pocket and pulled the pin just as Iruka announced that they were breaking for lunch.

"All right everyone, we break for lunch, and your Jounin senseis will pick you up soon."

"Well if that's all, then I'm out of here."

"Naruto, what is that?"

Naruto didn't answer as he tossed the live Flashbang to the front of the room. Naruto covered his eyes as it detonated then quite literally leapt throught one of the windows, shattering the glass in the process. by the time everyone in the room recovered, Naruto was gone. Iruka sighed as everyone filed out of the classroom. Looks like war mania has gotten to Naruto's head.

Meanwhile, Naruto took a stop by the village gate, where many villagers were gathered around something interesting. Naruto got up higher and saw a delivery driver for Surplus Arms International, a well-known supplier for Blackwater security, was currently talking to the guards. Behind him was a semi truck with an oversized load of two former Soviet T-72 battle tanks. Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson, pointed this out, and that's when Naruto jumped down from his perch.

"That's a T-72 MBT! It's outdated, but still powerful."

"I should give you a cookie sometime, Konohamaru. It's good to know you recognized it."

"Naruto! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick up the tanks. I ordered these a few months back."

At this, the delivery driver got Naruto's attention.

"Did you say you ordered these?"

"Yes. Here's my ID."

"Ah, I see. Look, in the following days, everything else you ordered will be arriving, so please be patient."

Naruto handed the driver a map and explained that the marks made on it signified where each vehicle should go. The driver understood and with that, Naruto made his way back to the academy and pulled out an MRE, which had a heater this time. He found Hinata, who was with her team, and sat down with her. Shino and Kiba were puzzled as to why he wasn't with his team. Naruto gave a straightforward answer.

"I don't think they exactly like me. But on that same token, I don't exactly like them, either. Sasuke's an arrogant emo avenger who depends on his Kekkei Genkai for power, and Sakura, who's always trying to impress Sasuke cares more about her looks than strength. Sakura is blind to the fact that Sasuke is simply attracted to power. Now, I on the other hand, don't rely on just one thing, but I have weaponry and battle experience in addition to ninja skill. Basically, what separates me from those two is the fact I know what war can do to a person while those two are as green as grass. I think they'll hate me for being indifferent to slaughter, but when you've killed bad guys wihtout losing a few of your own for three years straight, I think you would too. The first kill is always a shock to any soldier, and the following ones don't get any easier, because you are taking the life of a fellow human being. You have to convince yourself that you are doing the right thing, even though that may not be the case."

"Wow, Naruto. That's deep." said Kiba, with Shino concouring. Suddenly, the group was interrupted when a bottle was thrown at Naruto's head so hard that it shattered. Naruto grabbed his head in pain momentarily and then looked at the offender. It was a drunken man shouting at Naruto or 'Demon Brat' to get away from the heirs of the Hyuuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans. Naruto responded by flickering away from the group and reappearing behind the man, holding a Ka-bar knife in each hand, one to the man's genitals, and the other to the man's neck. Naruto was in no mood to fuck around, and Killer intent was radiating from him at a rate that positively terrified the man he currently held hostage. Naruto spoke harshly in the man's ear.

"When you chose to throw that bottle at me, you signed your fucking death warrant. Now choose which way you'll leave this world. You can either get your throat slit, or bleed out from where your dangly bits used to be. No answer? Well, I guess I'll choose it myself."

Naruto merely tapped the area above the man's 'dangly bits', and that was enough for the drunk man to faint. Sheathing his knives, he sat back down with Team 8 as if nothing happened. Kiba looked at Naruto in awe.

"Damn, Naruto! You sure know how to put fear into a man."

"It's just something I picked up."

Later, after most of the other teams had been picked up, Team 7 was the only one left. They had been waiting for two hours now, and Naruto decided he'd set up a surprise for their Jounin sensei. Pulling out some wire and a couple of smoke grenades, he began setting them strategically on variouts places in the doorway. His final result was a smoke grnade that would go off at one's feet, and another that dumped Yellow Smoke from its bottom onto one's head. Both were triggered by tripwire. Sasuke was somewhat irked at what Naruto was doing.

"Yo, Army Brat, what the hell are you doing?"

"Setting up a trap. This is to teach our sensei that if you get to your destination off schedule, the enemy will be ready."

"You really think that's gonna work? I mean after all, I hear he's got a Sharingan eye. How that could happen is beyond me."

"Pfff. If he were a true ninja, he won't depend on just his bloodline to keep him safe."

As if on cue, their silver-haired Jounin sensei opened the door while reading a hentai novel, triggering the pins and levers on the grenades. They detonated, engulfing him in smoke. As he coughed, he was suddenly tackled to the floor. He found that his book and weapons were kicked away from him while his hands were restrained behind his back. He heard a click behind his head, and suddenly, it all made sense as to who the hell had the nerve to mess with him like this.

"Hello, Naruto. What a surprise to have you on my team."

"Kakashi-sensei, Put your hands behind your head and get up slowly."

Kakashi jumped through the hoops awhile longer while Naruto patted him down. It took a few minutes, but when Naruto was done, he approved.

"Aside from this...contraband...," said Naruto, holding up multiple copies of 'Icha Icha Paradise' like dead rats. "You're clean for hidden weapons and you may now retrieve them."

"BAKA!"

Naruto whirled around just in time to see Sakura's fist flying towards his face. He snatched it, and in one quick motion, brought it behind Sakura's back and twisted it at the wrist. Sakura realized this too late and found herself in pain.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! I give! Let me go!"

"As you wish."

Naruto shoved Sakura right away from him... Only to have Sakura end up falling on top of Sasuke, leaving them in a compromising position. Kakashi saw a twitch at the corner of Naruto's mouth, the only hint of a smirk of smile. Perhaps the Naruto Iruka knew wasn't completely gone, just dormant. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura were blushing furiously. They were looking into each other's eyes. Thoughts raced through their heads a mile a minute.

'I wanted to be close to Sasuke-kun, but I wasn't expecting to be _this_ close!' thought Sakura.

'She smells just like her namesake...' thought Sasuke. 'Cherry Blossoms... I think I like that smell. It's nice...'

"Ahem."

Immediately, Sakura and Sasuke cleared themselves of each other, still blushing.

"Well, from what I've just seen and experienced, you three are the most spontaneous bunch of brats I've seen in my years as a Jounin. Follow me to the roof. Let's chat."

With that, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto turned and walked over to the window, pointed a gun at the sky and pulled the trigger. Snapping his fingers, he disappeared in a flicker. He poofed right on top of the bullet and hopped off, landing gracefully on the roof. He greeted his sensei with a small salute and sat down obidiently as Sasuke and Sakura came up the stairs panting.

"You know sensei, not everyone in this group knows teleportation jutsus." said Sasuke.

"That's a damn shame, Sasuke. Naruto already knows Yondaime's Hiraishin no Jutsu, and even made an improved version of it."

"Hmph."

"Anyway, everyone take a seat and let's introduce ourselves."

"Uh... sensei, can you give us an example of how it would go?"

Kakashi sighed. Kids these days were clueless.

"Fine. My name is Hatake Kakashi. My Likes and dislikes are none of your buisness, and my dreams are not appropriate for me to mention. You go next, pinky."

'All we learned was his name.' thought Sakura. "Well, my Name is Haruno Sakura, my likes are...(glances at Sasuke) my dreams are... (glances at Sasuke, blushes) I dislike Naruto and Ino-pig.

"Strong words, Sakura." said Kakashi. "Ok, you next." he added, pointing to Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't really have that many likes. I dislike those who are weak and a certain man, whom it is my dream and ambition to kill him as well as revive my clan." said Sasuke, eyes darting to Sakura briefly. Kakashi still caught this and thought, 'You like her already, don't you, Sasuke? Be careful.' Turning his attention to Naruto, he had the blonde do the same.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, Rank of Staff Sergeant. My likes include cooking, firearms and small arms, American music, and auto racing. My dislikes are traitors, people who are ignorant and can't look underneath the underneath. My dreams include rising through the ranks to the point where I can become Hokage, Opening a weapons shop, and making Fire Country allies with the United States of America. Even though I am a former mercenary, my loyalty lies with Konoha, my team, and most of all my friends and loved ones first before anything else. I leave no man or woman, dead or alive, behind in a combat zone. That's not only my ninja way, but that's also my way of the soldier."

'Hmm, So Naruto must've seen combat before too, huh?' thought Kakashi. 'This should be interesting.'

"Okay, now that we've all introduced ourselves," began Kakashi. "I'd like you all to know that we are having a skill test tomorrow."

"But Kakashi-sensei! We already did that in the Genin exams!" said Sakura, befuddled.

"Oh, but this is more of a survival test to see if you can take on a Jounin. See, you'll end up having to go through with this stuff if you want to be a true ninja. Now, before I go, I need you guys to remember not to eat breakfast or you'll puke. Bye now."

Kakashi poofed out, and each of the teenagers went their separate ways. All the other teams were apparently supposed to do something similar, so it was no coincidence when Naruto met the rest of his friends at Ichiraku's, including Hinata. The two kissed briefly, but it was long enough for Kiba to mistakenly make a snide comment.

"Christ, you lovebirds, get a room!" he said, turning away. When he turned around again, he found the barrel of a SPAS 12 Automatic shotgun staring him in the face. Kiba toppled over from his barstool in fear, covering his face.

"Naruto! Please put the gun away! I was only kidding! Really!"

"You better have been, dog boy. I've had a loong day."

"Maybe Ramen will take your mind off it, Naruto." said Shino from out of nowhere. Naruto thus put his gun away, and once everyone was settled, they ate. Naruto and Hinata shared a large bowl of Pork Ramen while the others usually chose Beef or Miso. Once they were full, Naruto made a proposition.

"Gentlemen, and of course lady, What would you say to some range time at my place before we turn in for the night?"

Murmurs of agreement were heard all around. Hinata was simply delighted that she was going to spend time in Naruto's house and said yes right on the spot.

"I got dibs on the M249!" said Chouji. At that, Naruto and the others chuckled.

"I swear, Chouji. You might as well enlist in the U.S. Military and hope you get to be a squad gunner." said Naruto.

And so, after paying their tabs, the group went over to the Uzumaki Mansion where each person grabbed their favorite weapons, loaded up some ammo, and started tearing targets to shreds. Hinata was new to this, though, and wasn't sure what to do. So for a half hour, Naruto taught her proper firing stance, aiming, and speed reloading. Since he was helping her aim, he stood right behind her and well, one could say it looked rather intimate. Though Hinata learned well, she couldn't help but turn a bright shade of red while Naruto taught her to fire the .45 in her hands. When she began shooting on her own, the rest of the guys found that she was one of the best shots in their group. With one 7-round magazine, she had the ability to create a 2-inch group at 10 meters within the center of mass. The guys were generally impressed. At the end of their little session, the guys put their guns away, but when they saw Naruto pull Hinata off to the side, They knew what was going to happen. Naruto had been talking about it for weeks.

"Hinata-chan." began Naruto. "There's something I wanted to give you."

"W-What is it?" stuttered Hinata.

"Here." Naruto handed her a gift-wrapped box. "I'm not telling you what's inside, 'cause it's a surprise."

Looking at Naruto quizzically, she ripped the gift wrap off the box to reveal a larger than normal pistol case. She set it on a table and popped it open and as soon as she did, she gasped and hugged Naruto in joy.

"Naru-kun, they're beautiful!"

What exactly was she so happy about? Well, since you, the reader are out of the loop, let me fill you in. Naruto's present to Hinata was the result of watching the movie 'Face/Off'. It had taken him months to make, since he built them himself, but his finished product was a pair of Platinum-cast Colt M1911A1 .45 ACP handguns with extended-capacity magazines, Platinum slides engraved with the picture of a sprinting fox with a knife clenched in its mouth, and specialized grips made of pure pearl with 1 carat diamonds embedded in the pearl for the checkering. Naruto had moulded the frame and slide himself out of a huge chunk of platinum.The platinum was the very basis for creating the pistols, which, now that they were completed, valued in at $70,000 U.S. Dollars for the pair. Needless to say, Hinata was a very lucky girl. But that was not all. In true Face/Off fashion, he placed the two handguns in rear waist-mounted holsters. One would have to reach behind their back to pull them out, and that was the point of those holsters. The only difference from the holsters in the movie was that these holsters had special 'butterfly' magazine holders that opened to the sides then the pistols were removed. When the user of the pistols runs out of ammunition, they can simply eject the empty magazines and slam down the magazine wells on the spare magazines for quick reloading. but since Naruto was who he was, he went further than that. So Hinata was definitely surprised to find in the pistol case a pair of 100-round drum magazines filled with a belt of .45 ACP ammunition and attached to the same loading system Naruto has for his twin Glock 18 handguns.

"Sorry, I think I went a little overboard." said Naruto sheepishly.

Soon, it was time for everyone to go home and get enough sleep for their genin tests the next day. While the other guys walked home, Naruto offered Hinata a ride home, and she gractiously accepted. So while Naruto drove his motorbike over to the Hyuuga estate, he blushed when Hinata hugged his waist tightly. When they arrived, Naruto walked her up to the front door. When they got there, Naruto unexpectedly recieved a kiss on the lips from Hinata, who while blushing, smiled and thanked him.

"Arigato, Naruto-kun." said Hinata. "I had a great evening, and I'm thankful for the gift. But most of all, thanks for letting me into a part of your world."

"You're welcome, Hinata-chan, but it was no sweat for me to do. Still, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Just then, Hiashi opened the front door and saw Naruto and Hinata intimately close. Clearing his throat, he got their attention, and immediately, the two faced him, turning slightly red having been caught in a Public Display of Affection. Hiashi chuckled at their reaction and then faced Hinata somewhat sternly.

"Hinata, why are you home at this time? I thought you would be coming home earlier."

"Well, you see, Tou-san..." began Hinata, nervous, but not stuttering.

"I asked her over." answered Naruto. "I asked her if she wanted to come with me, Shino, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Kiba to my house to fire off some of my personal weaponry. She said yes. I hope you don't mind. I even gave her a gift I'd created for her, thought that was bound to happen eventually."

Hiashi lightened up. Looks like the ball of romance in his daughter's and Naruto's relationship began to roll.

"Well, Hinata, what do you you say to Naruto?"

"Thank you for inviting me over, Naruto-kun."

"Oh, no, the pleasure's all mine." replied Naruto, bowing. Hiashi smiled as he watched Naruto walk off. It seemed Naruto was a gentleman, too. Perfect.

The next day came, and Naruto hopped out of bed. Putting on some fatigues and his usual gear, he went to his pantry and grabbed a few boxes of CalorieMate Block. Naruto loved these to death, as they provided for a nice break from bland MREs and when Ramen got repetitive. Since CalorieMate Block came in four bars per box, he already started munching on a bar while the two unopened boxes stayed at his sides. If Sasuke and Sakura did as Kakashi told them, then they would need these. Sure enough, when Naruto arrived, he found his two teammates sprawled out on the ground beneath a tree in a comical fashion. while they got plenty of sleep, they seemed weakened by hunger. Naruto shook his head and offered them some, even though he had an inkling in his mind that they would refuse.

"You guys want something to eat? I've got energy bars." said Naruto. Sasuke looked at him disapprovingly.

"No thanks. I don't need your charity, Army Brat." replied Sasuke.

"No thank you, Naruto. It's nice of you, but if Sasuke-kun can tough it out, then I'll do the same!" added Sakura far more politely. Still, Naruto sighed.

'Call me old fashioned,' thought Naruto. 'But I know from combat experience that an army marches on its stomach, as Napoleon Bonaparte himself said. I've learned that a fool goes into battle with a full stomach, but the walking dead go with empty stomachs.'

"Well, if you need 'em, they'll be right next to you." said Naruto, putting a box of the food beside either of his teammates. after doing so, he went off to do his own thing while waiting for their sensei. Two hours passed, and in that span of time, neither Sasuke or Sakura touched the CalorieMate within reach of their fingertips, and Naruto had already set up a target range. While he fired silenced weaponry a majority of the time, Sasuke and Sakura were startled by loud gunfire when Naruto decided to use his Hellfire Fox .454 Casull. Considering it was his favorite gun, it was no surprise to see him blasting chunks out of wooden enemies when he had some free time. Finally, their sensei came strolling up to them after nearly three hours of waiting. Sakura immediately jumped up and pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"Sorry, I got lost on the road called life." calmly replied Kakashi. "Anyway, now that you're all here, we will begin the test in a few minutes-- hey, waitaminute. Did you guys eat breakfast?"

"We didn't." said Sasuke. "Naruto did."

"And why did you eat Naruto? I said you guys would puke if you ate any breakfast."

"Simple. A fool goes into battle with a full stomach, but the walking dead go with a completely empty stomach."

"Heh, well, looks like that first bit of deception is shot to hell. Anyway, here's the rules of the test. You guys have a one-hour time limit to steal these bells from me. Whoever doesn't have a bell by the time this is over gets sent back to the academy."

"Demo, Kakashi-sensei, there's only two bells."

"Exactly. The test begins... Now."

Kakashi poofed away and reappeared in the middle of the clearing reading his hentai novel. Immediately, everyone split off, but Naruto needed their help. Still, he hopped into some cover; open ground is a modern soldier's worst enemy. While he was in the bush, he formulated a plan quickly. Unslinging the weapon scroll on his back, he unfolded a sight and aimed it right at Kakashi. Holding his breath, so as not to disturb his aim, he squeezed the panel trigger, and the rocket in the tube lauinched out and propelled itself right towards Kakashi. While Kakashi dodged it, Naruto was already thinking many steps ahead. He had his Glock 18's out and ready to fire, fed from the drum on his back. Naruto ripped away on full auto at Kakashi, who was now using his Sharingan eye to stay out of the bullets' path. But still, he wasn't taking his students seriously, so he read Icha Icha Paradise while dodging the oncoming rounds. However, Narut's target wasn't Kakashi, but what was in Kakashi's hand. As silly as it seemed, Naruto targeted Kakashi's Icha Icha Paradise novel for the sole purpose of getting to his sensei's head. Naruto noted that Kakashi loved that book like it was a real woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And Naruto was about to kill her. Unloading and holstering the Glock 18 in his right hand, Naruto pulled out his Hellfire Fox and leveled the quick aim sight at Kakashi's Icha Icha novel. He pulled the trigger, and while Kakashi dodged the bullet, his book did not. The powerful .454 Casull round tore a huge hole through the spine of the book, and the force of the hit alone knocked the book out of Kakashi's hands onto the ground. Kakashi fell to his knees before the sight of his fallen book. How could he have let this happen? Meanwhile, Naruto began the next phase of his plan, which was to strike while the iron was hot, or rather, while Kakashi grieves. He quickly sprinted as silently as he could, shedding any weight that would slow him down. Pulling out a ballistic knife, he waited until he was within range and then pressed a button on the knife, sending the blade towards Kakashi and cutting the bells off his vest. Naruto quickly snatched them and teleported away using Hiraishin Tama no Jutsu to retreive his gear. Now, all he had to do was link up with the rest of the team to hand them the bells. He ws used to self sacrifice, and this time would be no different. He knew he could breeze through the academy if he were sent back. So, with this in mind, he sought out his two teammates.

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"You guys are going to be dropped from the ninja program." said Kakashi sternly as he gazed at the three who had just gone through his test. Sasuke was tied to a pole, Sakura was sprawled out on the ground, still starving, and Naruto was still holding two bells.

"That was the most absolute worst display of selfishness I have seen from genin out of all the teams I've tested!" shouted Kakashi. "Now, where to start..." He glared at Sasuke, still tied to a pole.

"Sasuke! I am absolutely disgusted at your lack of humility. You let your damn pride get in the way of accomplishing the goal, which was to work as a team. Furthermore, you tend to expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter. Naruto did just that, AND YOU REFUSED!"

Needless to say, Kakashi had completely lost his cool. Part of that was to blame on the demise of his book. But, instead of blaming it on Naruto, he blamed himself. Had he been more responsible, he could be chewing them out in a calmer manner, reading the good parts of his book. He turned to Sakura next, pointing at her accusingly.

"Sakura, shame on you for following Sasuke. You wanted to be with him so badly that you failed to provide Naruto, who is your TEAMMATE, support in terms of taking the bells away from me. Like Sasuke, you refused the bell he was so willing to give up to you."

Kakashi turned to Naruto for his criticism, but in a much calmer manner.

"Naruto, I'd say you didn't do too many things improperly, after all, you risked yourself for your teammates. However, you need to remember that there is no such thing as a one-man army in the real world. Even though you have so many weapons, you will still need more people than just yourself to operate them. Now with that being said, I will give you another chance to pass this test because I am so generous."

Later, Naruto managed to help his team pass the test by creating a scenario. Through the magic of a Genjutsu, he created a hostage-rescue situation with Kakashi being the person they had to extract. Team 7 worked as a 3-man fireteam, with Sasuke providing covering fire on their approach. They had managed to clear the entire building of opposition in 5 minutes and passed the scenario in 6. Kakashi passed them, and told them that they would be starting missions the next day. for the rest of the day, they spent time with their friends and basked in the silence of victory, as all of the Rookie nine passed tests like that of Team 7's.

To be continued...

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Read and review, people!


	4. Shipping off to Wave Country

Konoha Marksman Chapter 4: Shipping out to Wave Country

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It was another day in the woods of Konoha. A cat with a bell tied around its ear walked thorugh the woods, unaware that its movements were being tracked by a gun barrel. Behind the trigger was Naruto, covered in a 'ghillie suit', which was created so that snipers could conceal themselves within thick brush or tall grass. Naruto communicated over the radio with his teammates.

"Marksman to Avenger and Healer. Requesting Target Confirmation; Tora, male cat with gold bell tied to its ear, correct?"

"Yes, Marksman. It's correct, right, Healer?"

"We've only caught this stupid cat about 50 times! Of course it's the correct description!"

"Copy that, Healer. Opening fire."

"Now wait just a minute, Marksman! We didn't come here to kill that cat--"

BANG!

In the blink of an eye, the cat wandering through the woods slumped to the ground. Naruto got up from his hiding position, looking like some sort of swamp monster because of the ghillie suit, and picked up Tora's now unconscious form.

"Target retrieved. Now proceeding to rendezvous point."

Minutes later, Naruto came into a clearing and met up with Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi. Upon seeing him, Sakura pounced on Naruto and punched him in the face. Naruto didn't react. This was commonplace.

"BAKA!" shouted Sakura, stripping off her earpiece. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THAT CAT? YOU BETTER NOT HAVE KILLED HIM!"

"I didn't" replied Naruto calmly, opening the bolt on his rifle, catching the round that was ejected. "I only tranquilized him using my rifle."

"He's right." said Kakashi, separating the round from its casing. It revealed a feathered tranquilizer dart shaped to fit the casing, and it was merely propelled by gunpowder. The stabilizing feathers on the back were designed as such that they would not burn when the gunpowder propelled the dart out of the barrel.

Later on, Tora had been returned to his owner, the wife of the Fire country's feudal lord. The day after that, Team 7 was once again in the Hokage's office for mission assignments. They were about to get another D-rank mission assignment when Sakura threw a fit.

"Dammit, I've had it with these D-Rank missions! You could pay the kid down the street to do this stuff! We're ninja, aren't we? We should be doing missions that are of higher importance than these measly chores!"

Just as Iruka, who sat next to Sarutobi, was about to reprimand Sakura for the way she spoke, Sarutobi held his hand up to stop him. Looking Sakura in the eye, he acknowledged her statement.

"All right then, Sakura. From what I've seen, you and your teammates have proven over and over again that you are mature enough to handle a tougher mission."

"Yatta!" said Sakura. "Who are we protecting, then?"

"You're about to find out." replied Sarutobi. "Send in Tazuna."

The doors to the office opened, and in came a slightly drunken man with graying hair and round-frame glasses. He held a bottle of Sake in his hand as he pushed his glasses up to look at the three Genin of Team 7.

"So, these brats will be the ones protecting me on the way back to Wave Country? No offense, but they look kinda pathetic. Especially the one with Blonde hair and the weird clothes and equipment. Anyway, let's go. I've got a bridge that needs to be completed."

Tazuna turned around and brought his Sake bottle to his lips when he suddenly heard a gunshot and saw his bottle shatter in his hand. Shaking, he turned towards Naruto, who safed his smoking Hellfire Fox handgun and holstered it.

"Sorry about that Tazuna-san. Now I don't mean any offense, but we work best when our protectee is sober. I suggest you get a good night's sleep before we even travel." said Naruto.

"R-right. Of course, how foolish of me!" said Tazuna, now visibly shaken. He walked out of Hokage tower and stumbled his way to the nearest inn, where he got a room for the night. Meanwhile, back with Team 7, Sasuke looked at Naruto, bewildered.

"Did you have to make such a spectacle of yourself, Army Brat? I'd hardly say shooting the man's Sake bottle was necessary." said Sasuke, trying to get a rise out of Naruto.

"Get bent, Sasuke." said Naruto, earning a glare from Sakura. "You should know as well as I that people act far more unpredictably when drunk. Besides, someone who's drunk is more likely to take needless risks. We can't have that on a mission."

Naruto was then interrupted by Sakura, who was about to punch him in the face. And just like the day they recieved Kakashi as their teacher, Naruto reversed her action and left Sakura and Sasuke in the exact same compromising position.

Back at Uzumaki Mansion, Naruto began packing rations and water and equipment into an old NVA pack he'd procured during his stay in the U.S.. From the accounts of grizzled Vietnam veterans he knew while working in Blackwater security, they recommended such a pack due to its larger carrying capacity than a standard U.S. Army infantry pack. After packing the NVA bag with what he needed, Naruto went over to his Armory. He had a blank spot in the H&K section of his armory. That blank spot belonged to an assault rifle he'd ordered a few days ago, but wasn't expected to arrive until the day after next. Naruto had ordered H&K's latest assault rifle system, the HK416 Piston-driven assault rifle. It was meant to be more dependable than the AR-15 sries of assault rifles by Colt, whose Direct Gas Impingement System of firing was plagued by reliability issues. Thus, Naruto had no choice but to use a customized M4A1 CQBR (Close Quarters Battle Rifle) he had elsewhere in his armory. It would hold him over until the HK416 arrived, and as long as he kept it meticulously clean, it would be fine. However, as fate will eventually teach him, he should've hand-loaded the magazines himself. Grabbing a Rhodesian chest rig, which had plenty of attachment points for MOLLE system pockets, He loaded up many ammunition pockets with 30-round M16 magazines that were compatible with his M4. Now as for the M4, Naruto decided to remove the carrying handle, revealing a rail on which he installed a Schmidt and Bender Short Dot 4x Scope. It was extremely accurate at either 1.1x or 4x magnification at 100 yards, and thus was Naruto's sighting system of choice. Then, Naruto installed a foregrip on the bottom rail mounted on the front handguard of the M4. Collapsing the stock, Naruto brought it to bear as he aimed at a target downrange. He smirked upon noting that the settings felt just right. Wanting to add a little more range to the gun, Naruto unscrewed the flash hider on the short 10 inch barrel and attached a Knights Armament Company silencer to the end of the barrel. It was a short and fat silencer, but Naruto knew the gun's performance would improve regardless. He safed the gun and kept it unloaded until he woke up the next day. Before going to sleep, Naruto lay down in his bed reviewing Blackwater Security's VIP protection field manual. It's been a while, and he would need a refresher course. Naruto soon fell asleep muttering the rules and guidelines of VIP protection.

Naruto woke bright and early the next morning, stuffing three different Thermos containers into his NVA Pack at the last minute after applying camouflage war paint to his face and tucking away his ghillie suit. Heading out to the village gates as early as he was, there was a slight mist hanging over Konoha in the morning. When he came to the gates, he saw only Sasuke, and the Uchiha was still looking rather sleepy. Thinking up a plan, he disappeared into the bush, Sasuke still unaware in his sleep-addled state. As Sasuke yawned for the third time that morning, Naruto snuck up behind the Uchiha using his ghillie suit. when he was half an inch away from Sasuke's heels, Naruto popped up, looking like a swamp monster yet again, and held Sasuke in a chokehold, his Helllfire Fox to the Uchiha's head.

"Gotcha!" said Naruto. "You're half asleep, Sasuke. I could've killed you in nine different ways." Naruto let go of Sasuke, allowing the Uchiha to breathe. "It's time to wake up and smell the coffee."

"You need to lay off the coffee!" shouted Sasuke, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto. (You deserve a cookie if you can guess the video game these lines came from!)

"Yeah, whatever." said Naruto, ignoring Sasuke as he took out his Thermoses. "Speaking of which, I have three thermoses of morning drinks here. What'll it be, Coffee, Hot Cocoa, or Tea?"

Sasuke sighed. Naruto may have been plain weird to him, but he had to admit, for an Army brat, Naruto was a kindhearted soul. Not that it was a sign of weakness or anything.

"The Hot Cocoa any good?" asked Sasuke.

"I'll even throw in mini marshmallows and chocolate creamer." replied Naruto, gesturing to the Thermos.

"You've got yourself a deal, Army brat." replied Sasuke, taking the offered cup. Naruto poured in the warm liquid drink and tossed in a few mini marshmallows and emptied in a small tub of International Delight Chocolate Creamer, as promised. Sitting down, Sasuke sipped at the drink and as soon as it coursed down his throat, he closed his eyes and let a contented sigh escape his lips, even smiling a rare smile. The calming taste of the hot chocolate put his mind at ease and for once, he didn't have to think about garnering revenge, avoiding fangirls, or repopulating his clan. For those few minutes in which he consumed the contents of the mug, he was freed from his troubles as he let the hot cocoa whisk him off to another world free of worries. However, when he ran out, he handed the mug back to Naruto and let his brooding facade take over once again. He was wide awake, refreshed after letting a warm drink take his edge away for a little while. In time, Sakura came into view, then Tazuna and Kakashi.

"Looks like you guys are set." said Kakashi. "Well, let's be off."

Naruto went out a small distance ahead of the group as he scouted for trouble. About half an hour later, the group was proceeding along a path towards Wave Country when Naruto signaled them to halt their progress and hold their position. Sasuke came up next to him and asked him what was wrong.

"Hey, Army brat, what gives?"

"I just saw two puddles, one on each side of the road."

"So?"

"It hasn't rained in this area for a while. You can tell by the dustiness of the rest of the road. So, I'm going to flush 'em out with smoke grenades. Have a kunai ready in case I can't smoke-check these chumps."

Sasuke drew a kunai and held it in a ready position as Naruto took a smoke grenade from his chest rig, pulled the pin, and chucked it right between the two puddles. in detonated, covering the area in smoke. Immediately, two figures rose out of the puddles, coughing as they held their weapons at the ready.

"Damn! That kid in the camo made us! Waste him and the geezer he's protecting now!" said one.

"With pleasure!" said the other. However, just as they swung their weapons, Two muffled popping noises came from Naruto's M4A1 as 4 shell casings flew out the ejection port. Within that small span of time, the sickening sounds of a bullet piercing a skull managed to make more noise than the silenced gunshots from Naruto's rifle. Naruto suddenly dropped his gun and clenched his arm. A searing pain came from a series of paper-thin cuts on his bicep. Kakashi, Sakura, and Tazuna regrouped with Naruto and Sasuke.

"You all right, Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

"No, I don't think so." said Naruto, grimacing. "You think those blades were poisoned?"

"Most likely, yes." said Sasuke, inspecting the bodies. He found the blade that slashed Naruto to be dripping with a transparent liquid.

"Well, before I apply any antidote at all, looks like I'll have to get most of it out of my bloodstream first." said Naruto, unsheathing his Ka-Bar. Moving it over the affected area, he stabbed it into his skin, grimaced as he lightly twisted the knife, and pulled it out, blackened blood spraying slightly out of the wound until it got redder in color. Naruto put disinfectant over the wounds, sprayed a clotting solution over them, and wrapped them up in bandages securely. Pulling the sleeve of his fatigues back over his arm, he picked up his M4 and stood up.

"Well, sensei, I'm ready. Shall we go?"

"Sure, as long as you can ensure your health."

"No problem. I've had to deal with this before."

And so, the group pressed on, but Tazuna lagged behind slightly, acting rather suspiciously. Coming to a wide river, Naruto pulled out a scroll and summoned a US Navy Rigid-Inflatable Boat (RIB) on the water. Once everyone in the group had fastened life vests, Naruto gunned the throttle as they sped across the river. While in transit, Naruto spoke to his teammates while keeping his attention focused on operating the watercraft.

"Sakura, Sasuke, check under your seats. I left something that you guys might find useful."

Reaching under their seats, the pink-haired kunoichi and the onyx-eyed avenger pulled out gun cases from under their seats, set them on their laps, and opened them. Sasuke's gun case was exceptionally heavy, and he found out why.

"Hey, I remember this gun!" said Sasuke, hefting his weapon out of his case. It was an Ares Defense Systems Shrike 5.56mm. Basically, it was an upper reciver which, now that it was attached to the M4 reciever, turned an M4A1 or M16 into a Squad Automatic Weapon. It had the ability to accept an M249 box magazine full of linked and belted ammunition as well as the NATO Beta C-mag 100 round drum magazine, and of course, the standard 30-round M16 magazine.

"You should remember that gun." said Naruto. "It's the same exact model you used in that training exercise. Now, as for you, Sakura, your gun is slightly different from the one you used in the training exercise.

"I'd say that's an understatement, Naruto." replied Sakura. In her gun case was an Ingram MAC-11 submachine gun, but it was customized with a reflex sight, Walther Flashlight and Laser, a foregrip, and silencer. The magazine held 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and the butt of the stock was currently folded up. But, other than ths slight differences in firing selector and safety, it was basically an UZI submachine gun, only slightly larger than the Micro UZI. Sakura worked various parts of the gun and then realized what Naruto was talking about.

"It does feel familiar, though." Sakura said, loading the gun and securing it to her body with the attached sling. Soon, Naruto beached the RIB on the shore opposite of where they shoved off. Disembarking from the boat, Naruto sent the RIB away in a puff of smoke, prepared for another use at a moment's notice. Naruto slung his M4 CQBR and led the party forward once again. 45 minutes of traveling passed, and it was getting dark. Kakashi stopped the group, and Naruto joined them once again. They set up camp in a clearing for the night, Naruto having summoned a tent large enough to hold five bunks. Naruto built a fire, and they ate dinner around it. As they did, Team 7 grilled Naruto about his past. Just as Naruto dug into some pork and rice, Kakashi asked him what he did while he was away from Konoha.

"So, Naruto." said Kakashi. "Care to share any war stories?

"I don't know..." replied Naruto. "I'm not usually one to talk about my missions. Besides, they probably pale in comparison to what ninja do."

"Pfff, yeah right." said Sakura. "We've been doing D-rank missions for months now, and this is our first C-ranker. Surely, you've done something just as exciting! Tell you what, why not tell us a little bit of your history at this Blackwater place you used to work at?"

At this, Naruto smirked. Those were the days.

"I can tell you guys, it was great! Whenever I had to help out in a warzone somewhere, I got paid $600 dollars a day, which is a lot of money in America, mind you. I remember doing things like hostage rescue, demolitions, VIP protection, hell, even Assassinations from time to time. Usually, on those missions, my targets were suicide bombers and the like that posed a threat to the public. Usually, I'd patrol the sides of the highway with a silenced weapon like my M4 or an MP5SD, and just stalk any suspicious folks. Usually, I went through at least one magazine of ammo per day because more often than not, I would find insurgents pretending to repair a stalled car when they're really concealing AK-47's or Rocket-Propelled Grenades."

Team 7 looked at him in awe. Even Kakashi was surprised.

"So basically, While these two were still chucking Kunai at the Academy," said Kakashi, indicating Sasuke and Sakura. "you were already doing missions normally reserved for Chunin and Jounin here in Konoha?"

"That's Right." Naruto replied, taking another bite of his food.

"Sheesh, no wonder you were recommended for promotion straight to Jounin."

"WHAT?" shouted Sasuke and Sakura in disbelief.

"Oh, I should've told you guys." Kakashi said sheepishly. "When he went through the aptitude tests his first day here, he was qualified to be a Jounin and even a Jounin instructor."

"And he didn't take it why?" asked Sakura, still stupefied by the revelation.

"Probably because he's incompetent and he knows it." said Sasuke with an arrogant smirk.

"As much as you would like to believe that, no." Naruto retorted. "I could've accepted that promotion to Jounin, but that would be the easy way out. I work to earn my promotions instead of taking shortcuts. Taking shortcuts is not only cowardly, it can also get you put out of commission with an injury, or worse. I've seen plenty of my comrades get injuries because they got careless and took a shortcut by rushing something."

"Hmph." replied Sasuke, irked that he'd been proven wrong.

"Care to tell any war stories?" asked Kakashi, his interest piqued.

"Sure." replied Naruto. "I remember this one time in Iraq..."

Flashback

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto's team had been assigned to protect the U.S Ambassador's daughter as she went to a private school in Baghdad, Iraq during the years of unproductive U.N. Inspections. The private school was mostly catering to children of U.N. employees, so the school held students of all nationalities, including Iraqi. Naruto was assigned to protect the ambassador's daughter from an undercover position. Thus, Naruto became a classmate of Tracy Murray, the U.S. Ambassador's daughter, so that he could protect her from a position the rest of his team couldn't. One day, Naruto and Tracy were talking with some friends they'd made when their teacher came into the doorway, clutching her chest. A gunshot was heard, and their teacher fell to the floor, dead. Immedaitely, Naruto tensed up as a gunman wearing a traditional Arab Shemagh and wielding an AKS-74U sprayed more bullets into the room and entered. Just as he began moving toward Tracy, Naruto rolled out of his seat and popped up with a silenced Colt M1911A1 handgun he had concealed underneath his school uniform shirt. Time seemed to slow down as the gunman turned in Naruto's direction, AK raised to his eye. Naruto lined up the laser sight attached to his handgun with the gunman's nose bridge and tapped the trigger twice, hoping that the gunman's arm wouldn't twitch. Unfortunately, the gunman's arm did twitch as he fell to the floor, thus firing a small burst of rounds into the walls and ceiling. One of the 5.45x39mm rounds ricocheted off of a surface and hit one of Naruto and Tracy's classmates in the arm. Shutting the door and barricading it, Naruto rushed over to his classmate and performed first aid as best as he could. The round had torn a small chunk of muscle tissue from his classmate's arm and even fractured it slightly. As Naruto's classmates stared at him, he flashed his Blackwater Security badge to show that he was friendly, and in no way hostile to them. Naruto then pulled out his earpiece and alerted the rest of his team, who was on guard outside the school fences on foot as well as inside Armored GMC Suburbans and BMW 7 series sedans.

"Fox to Team, Code One, I repeat, Code One,over!"

"What's the situation, Fox, over?"

"I just downed a tango trying to hold the room hostage. He popped the teacher before I did. Call for backup, we need to evacuate the school. We have to clear it out first, over."

"Copy that, Fox. We're contacting the embassy for backup. How are you for weapons,over?"

"I have my silenced .45, and the dead guy's AK. Be careful as you move in, there could be more of them, over and out."

As Naruto clicked off his radio, he slung the gunman's AKS-74U over his shoulder and took the spare magazines. Going over to the classroom telephone, he punched in the number to access all classroom phone lines.

"Attention all homeroom teachers, this is Uzumaki Naruto of Classroom 3B and Contractor of Blackwater Security. At this time, please barricade your doors and keep your students calm. There are armed intruders in the school compound currently being dealt with by my team members. As an employee of Blackwater Security, it is my responsibility to assist in the security of the students in this school. If anyone comes to the door, confirm that whoever is there is a Blackwater employee or a soldier of the U.N. Peacekeeping force sent to evacuate you."

Hanging up the phone, Naruto looked to his classmates, all of whom were extremely worried and frightened. Suddenly, they all jumped as they heard an explosion outside. A car bomb had detonated near one of the fences and more gunmen were now rushing in. Quickly, Naruto took the dead Gunman's pistol and its spare magazines and handed it to Tracy.

"Your dad ever teach you how to shoot?"

"Y-yes."

Naruto turned to the rest of their class of 16 and asked the same question. At least half of them knew how to shoot a gun, that half being from countries that allowed real guns. At this, Naruto went over to the closet. Opening the door, he kicked open a panel and out tumbled 16 bulletproof vests, 8 FN Five-seveN handguns, and 24 spare magazines.All the students in the classroom put on a bulletproof vest and those that didn't know how to shoot paired up with someone who did. Naruto led his class out while the rest of his team got other classrooms out as well. Naruto immediately ushered his classmates to a safe place while going off to deal with the invading gunmen. Minutes later, the school was cleared, but classes had been cancelled for the rest of the day.

However, Naruto's day didn't end there. He had to ride with Tracy as their motor pool quickly made its way to the U.S. Embassy. When they came within a mile of it, they were ambushed by gunmen waiting in the bushes on either side of the road. Naruto got involved in the exchange of gunfire, and even took a bullet in the vest. Only when Tracy was sound asleep in the safety of the U.S. Embassy was Naruto's day over and he earned his pay.

- - - - - - - - - - - - --

End Flashback

Sakura and Sasuke stared at Naruto, mouths agape. Kakashi's eyebrow went as high as it would go, a clear sign of disbelief. Tazuna was just as shocked, amazed that a kid was tasked to kill people bigger than him. Meanwhile, Naruto finished his meal and rinsed off his mess kit and put it away.

"Well, that's enough for tonight. I'll set up some Claymores around camp, and you guys can head to sleep. I'll keep first watch." said Naruto.

"I'll keep watch, Naruto." offered Kakashi. "You go get some sleep."

"If you say so, Kakashi-sensei." replied Naruto. "Just let me set these things up."

Naruto opened his NVA Pack and took out 8 M18A1 Claymore mines and set them up around the area. Kakashi was puzzled. When he heard 'Claymore', he was expecting a type of sword.

"What are those, Naruto?"

"They're Claymore mines. Explosive anti-personnel devices that when triggered, hurl out a wave of shrapnel in the form of 600 steel ball bearings. I can hook them up to detonate simultaneously or individually, and use either an infrared laser tripwire, which lessens the chance of detection, or a remote detonator."

"Sounds destructive."

"Of course." finished Naruto with a smile.

Early the next day, Naruto woke up and went to a nearby stream. He washed up there, removing the previous day's camouflage paint and placing on a fresh layer. While everyone else was still asleep, he field-stripped his weapons and cleaned all their components, paying special attention to the gas tubes on his M4. Naruto also cleaned his Hellfire Fox pistol, which was one of his most prized possessions. Satisfied that his weapons were in working order, he put them back together and tested the accuracy of his weapon sights by using wooden logs as targets to sight in his weapons. Naruto fired a few shots with his Hellfire Fox pistol, whose loud noise caused everyone to stir. With little grumbling, Team 7 packed up their camp and continued on to Wave country. They had not traveled 10 minutes when a heavy mist rolled into the area. Naruto immediately got suspicious and dug into his NVA pack. Remembering his training for these types of situations, he pulled out his T7 Thermal Vision Goggles rather than his AN/PVS-7 Night vision goggles. He strapped the thermal goggles to his head and as soon as he turned it on, brought up his M4 and scanned the area. Immediately, he fired a burst of rounds at the sword he saw flying towards him. The shots deflected the sword and sent it into a nearby tree. Immediately, Sakura and Sasuke finally had their weapons up. Naruto watched through his Goggles as a man strode up to the sword and pulled it out of the tree. Naruto set his M4 to full auto and began blasting away at the man who charged towards them. Sasuke and Sakura joined in as Kakashi whisked Tazuna away from the firefight. However, many of their rounds had been deflected, and Naruto finally decided to use his Hellfire Fox pistol and blasted a hole in the sword, knocking it out of their assailant's hands. The assailant still charged at them with a kunai, and Naruto met the assailant halfway, sending the butt of his M4 crashing into the assailant's face, effectively clotheslining him. Naruto used his foot to crush the man's hand and kick the kunai away as Sasuke and Sakura came up to the man, guns ready to fire. Naruto shoved his gun barrel right in the man's face, which he could see was partially covered up to his nose in bandages.

"All right, asshole, you picked the wrong day to fuck with Team 7 of Konohagakure. Who the hell are you?"

"Hmph, Is this what Konoha's ninja have come to be? Arrogant little shits that hide behind fancy weaponry and are uneducated in the field of nukenin? I'm Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the mist. And I came to kill that old geezer you're escorting."

"Well I hope you've had a nice life, Zabuza, because it ends today, by my hand. But before I kill you, tell us who sent you."

"Fair enough. I was sent by--HYAAK!"

Zabuza never got to finish his sentence when four senbon needles suddenly lodged themselves in his neck and chest. Naruto whirled around to see a woman wearing a Kirigakure Hitai-ate and a hunter-nin mask walking towards them and picking up Zabuza's body.

"Thank you for cornering him." said the Hunter-nin. "Kiri has been wanting Zabuza dead for a long time now. I'll take it from here."

"Hang on." said Naruto. "As a hunter-nin, aren't you supposed to dispose of the body where it lies?"

"Dammit!" swore the fake hunter-nin as she jumped away from the group. Immediately, Team 7 opened fire at the escaping ninja, when Naruto told them to save their ammo.

"Cease fire, It's useless. They probably got away by now." said Naruto, reloading his M4A1. "Well, let's continue to Wave."

"Not so fast, Naruto." said Kakashi. "I'd say Tazuna-san has some explaining to do."

At this, Tazuna fell to his knees and began apologizing to Team 7.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! My village couldn't afford enough to pay for one of your A-rank missions! There is a man in Wave country that is choking our economy, and because of that, We couldn't pay any more than enough for a C-rank mission!"

Kakashi sighed. Turning to his team, he offered them a choice.

"All right, guys and gal. I'll give you a way out of this mission now that it's way too hot to handle by Genin alone. You can either continue this mission, or you can head back to Konoha, where we can get some properly-skilled ninja to do this."

Naruto cocked his M4, a round clearly popping up from the magazine into the chamber as seen through the ejection port.

"I say we continue." said Naruto. "We've gotten this far, we should see it through to the end."

"I second that." said Sakura, slamming a new magazine into her M11. "Tazuna-san's village needs to be cleaned up."

"And we're the ones who can do it." finished Sasuke, folding up the bipod on his Ares Shrike.

Their resolve renewed, Team 7, Tazuna, and Kakashi made their way to Tazuna's house in Wave Country.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hope you all liked this chapter, didn't have much time to write it because of school. And as a heads up, A major character will die in the next chapter, specifically a character from Team 7. Just so you all know. Review, please.


	5. Fallen Angel

Konoha Marksman Chapter 5: Fallen Angel

- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -

In a small town in Wave Country, the sound of gunfire could be heard emenating from a bridge nearing completion. Much of this gunfire came from one side of the bridge, though the other side began to ring with gunfire as well. Naruto was the one who started it all, eventually convincing his teammates to use their guns as well. Now, as he reloaded his M4 with yet another 30-round magazine, a thought struck him.

_How the hell did all this happen?_

Flashback

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Team 7 arrived safely with their escortee at Tazuna's house. A young woman in her mid-twenties came out to greet Tazuna. It was his daughter Tsunami, followed by her son, Inari, who was glad to see his grandfather back.

"Tsunami-chan, Inari-kun! It's good to see you both!" Said Tazuna.

"Otou-san, I'm glad you're safe." said Tsunami, hugging her father.

"Good to see you again, Ojii-san!" said Inari. Then, he turned to see Team 7 and his smile was immediately gone. "Who are they?"

"Inari, these are the three ninja who will be protecting me while I finish the bridge. Meet Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto."

While the first three ninja voiced their greeting, Naruto merely nodded in acknowledgement as he proceeded to set down his gear and begin cleaning his M4. Inari was a little flustered that his grandfather hired bodyguards... again.

"Ojii-san, what is the point of hiring bodyguards that are either going to be killed or bail on you as soon as Gatou's men show up?" Inari said, fuming.

"Now that's hardly a fair assumption, Inari. These four are ninja, and are far more able to keep me safe than the last group of people." replied Tazuna

"Feh. It matters not, Gatou will just blow away your protection right out from under you." retorted Inari.

"That's enough."

Both Tazuna and Inari turned towards Naruto, who was walking toward them, having finished cleaning his M4. He crouched down, and stared Inari in the eye.

"Inari, we need to talk. Come with me." said Naruto. Inari looked at his grandfather for consent, and Tazuna nodded. As they exited the house, Naruto closed the door behind them. When they were a little ways away from the house, Naruto sent Inari to the ground face first and put the muzzle of his M4 against the back of Inari's head.

"Ever been in a situation quite like this before?" asked Naruto rather calmly.

"N-n-no." replied Inari, shaking with fear.

"Essentially, this is what I believe Gatou is doing to this town. Holding it at gunpoint." said Naruto, safing his gun and taking it off Inari. Inari stood up and looked at Naruto somewhat fearfully, but the blonde ninja ignored it.

"I suggest you start giving me the skinny as to why you're so depressed."

Inari launched into his small tale of woe. He explained that a few years ago, he had a father figure named Kaiza a little while after his own father died. Things were well until Gatou came in. Gatou made a hostile takeover of all the trade going in and out of Wave country, and as a result, the economy began to die. People lost thier jobs and were reduced to begging in the streets. Kaiza decided to help Tazuna build the bridge early on, openly resisting Gatou's tyrannic actions. As a result of that, Kaiza was eventually arrested and publicly executed for being a 'terrorist'. That day was when their little town's spirit was broken. Now, Tazuna worked on the bridge alone much of the time, as any help he had was usually scared off by Gatou's gang in power. What had depressed Inari the most was the death of Kaiza, whom he had looked up to. Naruto held his hand up when he had enough of the explanation.

"Inari, do you want to be brave and strong like Kaiza?" Naruto asked.

"More than anything, Naruto-san." said Inari. "I think I'm doing him a disservice already by being this way, bu I just can't help it." he added, beginning to cry.

"There's your first lesson already, Inari." said Naruto, pulling out a small pack of tissues and handing it to Inari. "Learn to let your emotions out every so often. It's not healthy to choke them down all the time. Now, I'll give you an offer here. How would you like me to train you in the ways of the marksman?"

Inari liked how that sounded. _'The Way of The Marksman'_.

"I'll take that offer!" said Inari ecstatically.

"Good. Let me take care of something first, then we'll start immediately." said Naruto, getting up. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Naruto strode into the house and spoke to Kakashi. he came out of the house with Kakashi in tow and walked vertically up a tree using Chakra to affix himself to it.

"All right Naruto, since you already know this exercise, you're free to train Inari. Just remember that you still have guard duty." said Kakashi.

"Got it." said Naruto, now walking over to Inari. "All right, Inari, let's get started."

Naruto pulled a scroll he had picked up from his NVA pack, unrolled it, and summoned its contents. A puff of smoke signaled the success of the summoning and in front of Inari and Naruto appeared a blanket with a training loadout that included a Colt M733 5.56mm Assault Carbine, a Kimber M1911A1 Custom II with 3 different slides, a knife, Stun grenades and flashbangs, both reusable and nonreusable, and a locked case of M26 fragmentation grenades. Large boxes of .22LR, .38 Super, and .45ACP ammunition were present for the pistol as well as plenty of spare magazines and boxes of ammo for both the Kimber pistol and the Colt M733. Naruto went over the weapons with Inari and explained what each one of them was best suited for. He also explained why the Kimber Pistol had three different slides.

"Ok, Inari. Now, let's move on to the pistol. I've found conversion kits so that it can fire three different calibers ranging from low recoil and low stopping power to high recoil with high stopping power. When I leave here, I want you to continue your progression into higher calibers, which is why I gave you three different types of slides and magazines." explained Naruto as he picked up the .22LR kit. "First, we have your basic .22 long rifle cartridge. It's mainly used for target practice and is an entry level caliber. Don't expect to kill someone with this unless you can aim for vital areas such as the head. Often, the main cause of death from one of these is when someone manages to hit a vein and cause a hemorrage. Basically, this is not really a killing caliber, and it's just used for practice or plinking."

After that, Naruto went on to explain the other caliber kits for the pistols, and Inari learned that .38 Super was an intermediate round that had easy-to-control recoil and moderate stopping power, and that the .45 was the one with the most stopping power and noise. Inari spent the rest of the day familiarizing himself with the weapons Naruto supplied him with, and went to bed with his head spinning with weapons knowledge after dinner.

The next morning found Inari snoozing peacefully when Naruto crept up to his bed. Naruto rose slowly, pulled out a megaphone, and pulled the trigger.

"GET UP, MAGGOT! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!" Naruto shouted into the megaphone. Inari jumped up from his bed so hard that he nearly created a hole in the ceiling.

"Good, you're awake." said Naruto, poofing the Megaphone away. In its place was a box of CalorieMate Block. "Eat one bar, strap on your shoulder rig, and bring your pistol and .22LR kit. We've got some time for target practice before I have to go on guard duty."

Heading outside, Inari saw the elaborate course Naruto had set up for his training. There was an introductory station with paper targets for accuracy testing, and the rest of the course was simply made up of windows providing a clean view of moving and stationary metal plate targets. Naruto led Inari to the accuracy station.

"Inari, load up a mag and chamber it. As soon as you hear the buzzer, aim and fire as fast and as accurately as you can into the target. Put on your shooting glasses, but not your hearing protectors. These rounds aren't very loud, and the sooner you get used to the sound of gunfire, the better."

Inari loaded a 15-round magazine of .22LR ammo into his gun, which had the cooresponding slide and barrel. He racked the slide back and let it go, chambering a round, and waited. As soon as the buzzer sounded, he pulled the trigger. The firecracker-like pop of the .22 round startled Inari, and he nearly dropped the gun. Suddenly, Naruto's megaphone went off right next to his ears.

"DID I SAY YOU COULD STOP FIRING? KEEP SHOOTING AND STOP FLINCHING, YA GODDAMN PANSY! OR IS THAT THONG YOU'RE WEARING TOO TIGHT?"

Inari was deafened from the first comment and did not hear the second one. Taking a breath, he squeezed the trigger multiple times until the slide locked back, which was when he put down the pistol and retrieved the target. Not paying attention to it, he handed it to Naruto, who looked it over.

"Inari, you're going to need to do some serious work on accuracy. You just barely managed to score high enough to go on to the next part of the training course. Look, I'm going to leave some clones of mine to oversee your training. Oh, and just as a hint of notice, their ass-o-meters are all going to be turned up to 11. Have fun."

Naruto poofed away to the bridge with his M4 in hand while Inari found himself under verbal assault by the clones as he ran the course over and over again. When Naruto came by later in the day to dismiss him from his training, Inari's hands were red and marked from the checkering on the grips of his pistol and shouts of "HIT THE DAMN TARGET!", "USE THE SIGHTS, FOR FUCK'S SAKES!", and "MY DOG CAN SHOOT BETTER THAN THAT, AND HE DOESN'T HAVE OPPOSABLE THUMBS!" rang in his ears. Shell casings also littered the ground nearby.

"How was training?" Naruto asked.

"Tiring. Need food." said Inari, his exhaustion evident in his voice. Inari then collapsed to the ground, starved and snoring. Naruto shrugged his shoulders and carried Inari inside. It would be a long week for the boy, and it wasn't going to get any easier.

The week went by quickly. On the second day, Inari had managed to sink all his pistol shots into the center of his paper target and sprinted through the practical shooting course, leaving no target unscathed. As a result, he progressed to rifle/carbine marksmanship training with his M733 on the same day and progressed quickly. On the third day, Naruto added stealth training and sniping to the list of skills for Inari to become proficient in. On the fourth day, Naruto added grenade training and CQC to the mix, helping Inari learn how to fight in one-on-one close quarter confrontations. On the fifth and final day, Naruto taught Inari how to clear a room or house as well as reassemble all his firearms while being timed and blindfolded.

The day after that, it all came to a head in the morning. Naruto woke up hearing noises downstairs from his room, and as soon as he heard Inari shouting for help, he immediately grabbed his M4 and headed down the stairs to enter a standoff. Two of Gatou's men had entered the house and were in the process of kidnapping Inari and Tsunami as hostages. Luckily, the two kidnappers were only using swords.

"Let them go or I smoke-check you both." Naruto said coldly, lining up one kidnapper's head in his sights.

"Will you now?" said one of the kidnappers. "You and what army?"

"THIS ARMY!" shouted Inari, pulling his Kimber from its holster. he shoved it under his captor's chin and squeezed off two rounds and rolled away as his captor's body let him go. Inari popped up, spun around, and together, he and Naruto killed the henchmen, releasing his mother. Naruto threw down a smoke bomb, and when it cleared, all his gear was together, and he was ready to head to the bridge.

"Inari, load your guns, make sure your mother stays safe, and muster up some help. It's time for a revolution." said Naruto.

"Hai!" replied Inari. "Be careful out there, Naruto!"

"I will."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

End Flashback

Now, Naruto had finished taking on Zabuza and his protege, Haku, with the help of Sasuke. However, another problem came from the horde of Gatou's men across the bridge. Naruto created Kage Bunshins left and right to help the rest of Team 7 in their effort against Gatou's troops. However, Naruto noticed that the level of weaponry escalated as Team 7 tore through each wave of Gatou's men. It had started with swords, then pistols, and now, they were struggling to hold off men armed with Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles. However, it seemed as if the riflemen began to clear the way for something. Naruto saw the last thing he'd ever wanted to see in an enemy's hands...

Gatou had finally appeared across the bridge, at the controls of an M134 7.62mm Minigun. Grinning sadistically, he flipped a switch and watched as the barrels began to rotate and increase speed...

Back on his side of the bridge, Naruto glimpsed this before he picked off more gunmen with AK-47's to clear his view. Reloading, he drained his next mag until coming to the last round, which failed to fire. Naruto quickly ejected the round and saw that it was dented. He tossed it away and ejected his now empty magazine and reached for another one, and he began to panic when he didn't feel a magazine. Naruto was horrified to discover he had run out of spare magazines. '_fuckfuckfuckfuckFUUUUUCK!' _he thought to himselfAs he looked up, he could definitely see Gatou begin squeezing the triggers to the M134. Naruto decided to end it quickly by hauling out his Hellfire Fox pistol. Bringing it to bear, time slowed down further as he put Gatou's head in his sights...

Seconds before Naruto made his discovery, Sasuke was firing his Shrike when it suddenly jammed. Frantically, Sasuke tried to clear it, but to no avail. Looking up, he saw the muzzle flash from the M134 and threw up his arms futilely, knowing they wouldn't protect his face from the bullets. However, the gunfire stopped in a split second, and when Sasuke realized he wasn't even injured, he opened his eyes. He saw Sakura standing in front of him with her back to him, arms outstretched to the sides. In one hand was her silenced M11 submachine gun, bolt locked back, signifying it was empty, and in the other a kunai. She turned her head to face him and smiled. Sasuke noticed the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as she smiled briefly before she collapsed...

"SAKURA!"

Meanwhile, not far from Sasuke, Naruto had holstered his Hellfire Fox pistol, assured that he had dropped Gatou like a bad habit. Suddenly, the cry of "SAKURA!" reached his ears, and immediately, he knew something was not right. Turning to his right, he saw Sasuke holding in his arms a pink and red figure. Immediately, he got his handgun out and ran to Sasuke, fearing the worst.

"Sasuke! What happened?!" Naruto asked frantically. Suddenly, a weakened and dying voice answered his question.

"I...got...in his w-way. I h-hope it w-was the...right thing to d-do."

Naruto looked down and saw Sakura cradled in Sasuke's arms. She was bleeding from the chest and stomach profusely, with the same crimson liquid trickling from her mouth. Naruto frantically got out his medical kit and applied pressure to Sakura's gunshot wounds with the gauze he used. The gauze quickly were soaked with blood, and Naruto had to add more gauze as he threw in healing chakra from his hands. He cursed as it fizzled out. Both Naruto and Sasuke did their best to reassure Sakura that she would live.The awful truth, though, was this: Sakura was in her last moments of her life.

"Sasuke-kun...before I die...I want you to know that I love you..." she gasped.

"Sakura, don't talk like that, you're going to be fine, you hear me? Look at me!" Naruto detected a note of desperation in Sasuke's voice - he knew why.

"It's ok...you're safe...that's what's important to...me...I love you," she said, smiling weakly.

"Sakura, no! Hold on! I don't want you to leave me! I love you too, Sakura-chan!" sobbed Sasuke as he wrapped his arms around his dying teammate. Sakura reciprocated briefly and then Sasuke's heart sank to a new low when he felt the kunoichi's arms go limp and fall from his neck. Naruto saw this, and he knew that nothing could be done any longer. He let go of the pressure bandages he put over Sakura's wounds and hung his head as he heard Sasuke begin to cry. Meanwhile, Kakashi and Tazuna began to cry as well when they saw what happened.

_'No more.'_ thought Naruto, fists clenched, the skin over his knuckles stretched white. Grabbing his handgun, he turned to face Gatou's advancing men, who were angry that their meal ticket was now dead. Naruto stood up, racking the slide on his gun and pulling out his knife. "Stay here," Naruto said to Sasuke, though surely the boy would not do otherwise, not this time.

"WELL! YOUR LEADER SHOT AND KILLED AN INNOCENT WOMAN. HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL!?!? HONORABLE?!? NOW, COME AT ME! COME AT ME AND FIGHT AND DIE LIKE MEN!"

Gatou's forces responded with a roar of automatic weaponry, which Naruto made sure he drew only to himself and away from anyone else. 'Now they will see,' thought Naruto, 'what a big mistake they have made by coming here today.'

Suddenly Naruto turned perpendicular to the chasm, facing the fire that was coming up, now to his right. Seeing that he was near the end of the firing line, he took cover behind a large crate of building material. The firing continued, the crate shook with bullet impacts, large shards of wood splintering off. Naruto waited for a - here it was, a break! He popped around the crate, and started firing over the opponents' heads. As soon as the hammer fell on the last round, he was already reappearing on the opposite side (i.e. where the bullets had been heading), slamming another mag into the gun. He summoned Kage Bunshins to appear back where he'd been, ordering them to pop out of cover only one at a time to make it seem that it was only him there. Though the clones were dispatched, Naruto had cleverly used it as a diversion to perform his signature Hiraishin Tama no Jutsu and teleported to a location within the ranks of Gatou's men. When he arrived at his destination, Gatou's forces backed away from Naruto in fear as they watched him become engulfed in the Kyuubi's Chakra. The slight difference was that the Chakra that normally turned his fingernails into claws was now diverted to his gun and knife, and as a result, became far more powerful. Before he proceeded to slaughter the hired guns like pigs, he spoke the last words they would hear.

_"For the injustices you all have commited today, your blood shall stain my blade, your innards, foul my gun. May god have mercy on all your souls, for you will find such a luxury on earth no longer."_

Naruto began his onslaught, using his Chakra-bathed knife to turn a nearby man's head into a Pez dispenser. Using that man's body as a human shield, he shoved his Hellfire Fox pistol through the man's torso and pulled the trigger, blowing away more armed goons. He grinned sadistically through the rest of what could be described as a one-sided slaughter. Some of his acts included setting off a grenade while it was still inside a combatant's weapon pouch and shoving him into 5 or 6 of his closest comrades. By the time it was over, Naruto had killed close to fifty armed men using nothing but a handgun and a knife. Kyuubi's Chakra died down as Naruto breathed hard from the effort of his massacre. He tensed up as he heard the sound of voices coming over the crest of the hill, but relaxed somewhat when he saw that it was Inari and a good amount of the villagers.

"Inari, the fight was over a long while ago. Sorry." said Naruto dejectedly. Inari didn't respond right away as he looked over the resulting carnage. Blood was everywhere, as well as spent shell casings and bits of brain matter and flesh. Inari nearly vomited at the smell wafting up to his nose.

"What the hell happened here, Naruto?" Inari asked, unnerved by the scene.

"I avenged the death of a friend." said Naruto. "These bastards were responsible for ending her life."

"Her? Oh, god. You don't mean..."

"Yes. They k-killed Sakura-ch-chan." said Naruto, beginning to cry. Inari did his best to console Naruto, whose anguish grew somewhat. He had never lost a teammate before, and the psychological effect it had on him was devestating. getting up, the two walked back to where Tazuna and Kakashi were. As they neared Sasuke, they saw that Kakashi had applied a tag over Sakura's eyes and forehead to keep her body from decomposing. At this point, it was all they could do. All five men on the bridge cleared a way through the crowd of villagers, who now stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

Hours later, Inari and Tazuna watched as Team 7 began their trip back to Konoha with one less team member alive. Kakashi sighed as he sent the messenger piegon ahead of them with the mission report. There was going to be yet another funeral in Konoha, 12 years after Yondaime, his sensei, was laid to rest. Inari and Tazuna spoke as they watched Team 7 disappear over the horizon as the sun rose on yet another day.

"So what will this bridge be called?" asked Tazuna.

"At first, I thought The Great Naruto Bridge." said Inari. "But Naruto told me another name for it and stressed that it be commemorated as such."

"What would that name be?"

"The Team Seven Memorial Bridge."

And so, Tazuna honored Naruto's request days later when he unveiled a statue of Team 7, with guns drawn and in tactical position. Sakura was in front, and Naruto and Sasuke were at her side. At the base was a plaque that read as follows:

_In honor of Konohagakure no Sato's Team 7 and in memory of Haruno Sakura (1992-2005)._

_On June 29th, 2005, one of the team members sacrificed herself to protect her team and to free the country of wave from the oppressive rule of Gatou. May her death in the line of duty not be in vain._

_"Those who abandon their mission are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash!" - Team 7_

Naruto entered Konoha ahead of Kakashi and Sasuke, mainly so that he could change into more formal dress to deliver the bad news. He met with Kakashi and Sasuke at Hokage tower, and with a sober nod to each other, they proceeded to the Haruno household with a folded Konoha symbol flag tucked under one of their arms...

Mrs. Haruno's cries of anguish were heard throughout the night.

To be continued...

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	6. Mourning a loss, beatings return

Konoha Marksman Chapter 6: Mourning a loss, beatings return

A/N: To all those who flamed or negatively criticized my last chapter, here is proof that Naruto is relatively human. Also, since he was raised in a military setting, he's more a soldier than a shinobi. That was the point I'm trying to make for those of you who don't like the guns.

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Naruto sighed. It would be two days before he had to show his face at Sakura's funeral. The mere thought depressed him deeply. Though the Haruno family kindly assured him he was not at fault and that it was most likely Sakura's choice because of her devotion to Sasuke, he still thought himself to be the one responsible. Walking out of the safety of the Uzumaki estates, Naruto walked out into the village with not much more than a .45 service pistol in a shoulder holster rig with spare magazines and his knife. Walking to the memorial stone, he pulled out his knife and carved Sakura's name into the granite. As he put away his knife, he began to speak to the stone as if Sakura was right in front of him.

"Sakura-chan, Gomen nasai." said Naruto, a tear beginning to roll down his cheek. "I'm so goddamn sorry I failed you. For all my talk and knowledge of weaponry, I still couldn't save you from that gatling gun! That stupid dented cartridge... I should have handloaded it myself. If I did, you would still be alive, and having more chances to sway Sasuke and get him to fall in love with you. I'm a failure. Both to you and to myself as a soldier and shinobi."

With that last comment, Naruto turned on his heel and walked away. Out of the stone came Sakura's spirit, and she watched as Naruto walked away from the stone.

_"Naruto... you're not a failure. It was my choice to save Sasuke-kun from certain death." said the spirit. "This isn't like you..."_

As Naruto walked into the village, he could feel cold stares drilling into him. The feel was familiar, and he feared it already. It usually meant he was about to get beat up and left for dead. One little bump set things into motion.

"Watch where you're going, brat!" shouted the drunken man Naruto bumped into.

"Sorry, sir." replied Naruto, hoping to get away as quickly as he could.

"Sorry ain't gonna bring back that girl you killed! Die, demon!"

The drunken man smashed his sake bottle over Naruto's head, causing the genin to reel in pain. Two more angry villagers held Naruto by the arms as the man cut him up with the jagged edges of the Sake bottle. Naruto began to bleed profusely now that he had been stripped of his weapons and protective gear. Desperately, he fought back to the best of his abilities, but a growing crowd overpowered him and bound him. Shouting death threats at Naruto, they dragged him through the streets toward Hokage mountain...

It so happened that Hinata was out shopping when the angry mob passed by. One of them came up to the shopkeeper and said that "The demon boy will finally be executed!"

The shopkeeper moved to follow the anti-Naruto villager when Hinata asked him who was being executed, fearing something was wrong. Forgetting about the law, he told her that it was Naruto and he raced past her to join the lynch mob. Meanwhile, Hinata processed this and turned paler. Immediately, she raced off to Kiba and Shino's respective houses to muster up some backup. Then, she ran as fast as she could to her house, hoping to grab her .45s and get back in time to help save Naruto, Chakra depletion be damned. Kiba and Shino, being some of Naruto's closest friends, were also given their own weapons as well, despite the fact that they were more used to Kunais and ninjutsu. Kiba grabbed his SPAS-12 Automatic Shotgun, while Shino grabbed his MP5SD3 silenced submachine gun and went out towards Hokage mountain, hoping they would not be too late.

Back at the Hyuuga estates, Hiashi was reading the morning papaer while drinking his tea when Hinata burst in through the door and ran up the stairs to her room. Puzzled, he got up and saw Hinata heading back towards him as she strapped on her gun holsters. Hiashi raised a hand to get her to stop running.

"Hinata, what is the matter? Why are you rushing around like this?" asked Hiashi

"Tou-san, I have to help Naruto-kun! Some villagers are going to execute him!" said Hinata frantically. Hiashi grew angry at the villagers and let Hinata run to Hokage mountain while he notified Sarutobi. Hopefully, his daughter's team would not be too late. And if they weren't, he hoped they wouldn't be harmed. Hiashi felt an obligation to protect who he suspected would be his future son in law, no matter the cost.

At the top of Hokage mountain, the angry mob slipped a noose around Naruto's head. The blonde had been practically robbed of his dignity, with the mob having stripped him down to nothing but his boxers. His lack of clothing revealed that he now had multiple cuts and lacerations along his torso, all of which the Kyuubi had alarmingly not healed yet. As the crowd chanted death threats to Naruto, one of them wore a black hood as they led him toward the cliff. Naruto couldn't fight back in his weakened state and closed his eyes, waiting for death to come. He felt his stomach sink as he felt the ground suddenly swept away, but for some odd reason, he wasn't choking. Then, he heard the shout of "JYUUKEN!" come from behind him, and his heart skipped a beat with hope as he heard the sound of fists hitting flesh and the groans of an injured man. Had his beloved come with backup to rescue him? Or was it just one last fantasy before he left the mortal realm for good?

Opening his eyes, he saw that Team 8 had indeed come to rescue him. He watched, then shut his eyes as Shino and Kiba deployed Flashbang-laden Kunai at the feet of his captors, who were blinded, and then punched into next week by Hinata. Suddenly, Naruto felt a Kunai pressed to his throat, and then without warning, the kunai moved and cut his skin, causing him to begin bleeding. Shino responded by quickly and quietly shooting the Kunai out of the hostage taker's hand, and it was all over when Hinata switched guns with Kiba and painted graffiti on the mountain side with the hostage taker's brains. At this point, Naruto was beginning to lose consciousness due to the kunai that nicked his jugular vein. Hinata pleaded with him to stay focused on her as she pressed gauze to the affected area. As she did this, the ANBU began to arrive and place into custody all the members of the lynch mob. Naruto blacked out as Hinata slung him over her shoulder and carried him off to Konoha hospital, her team flanked by ANBU.

Meanwhile, at Hokage tower, Sarutobi nearly had a heart attack when Hiashi told him an angry mob was about to lynch Naruto atop Hokage mountain. Looking out the window, he was glad to see Naruto wasn't being removed in a body bag. However, the worst had yet to be over when he recieved news that Naruto had been checked into the hospital with reports of deep lacerations, and even a life-threatening wound that nicked his jugular vein. This time, Sarutobi sank in his seat in bewilderment, and slowly walked out of the office to check on Naruto's status.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Naruto was finally sleeping soundly in a hospital bed after an argument during check-in and treatment. When a nurse refused to heal Naruto, Hinata almost lost her cool."There's no need for _two_ fatalities today, is there?" she'd asked. Immediately, the nurse got to work. Said nurse was now walking into Naruto's room and quietly closed the door behind her as she walked to Naruto's bed, hooked up to a heart monitor and IV machine. A gleaming scalpel flicked into her hand from the sleeves of her outfit. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a gun cocking behind her. A command in a cold and obviously angered voice came to her ears.

"Put the scalpel on the floor, lock your hands and fingers behind your head, and walk back towards the sound of my voice."

The nurse did as she was told, recognizing the voice. After all, even if he was the last one, no one dares defy an Uchiha. Sasuke let his Shrike fall to his side as he grabbed the nurse and patted her down for any further weapons. Satisfied that there were none, he bound the nurse with zip ties and shoved her into a seat as he gripped his machine gun in his hands yet again.

"U-Uchiha-san! I wasn't going to... w-what are you doing here?" stammered the nurse.

"I could ask you the very same thing." said Sasuke, killer intent evident in his own voice.

"I-I was only going to slay that filthy demon in your presence!" said the nurse honestly.

"All right, that's enough." said Sasuke, cocking his Shrike machine gun. "I've had it with people calling Naruto a demon. He may be a little out of the norm because of the way he does things, but he's still my friend and teammate. Now, I'm gonna wax you right here and now. People like you don't deserve a quick and quiet death. Expect yours to be loud and nasty."

"Wait!" said the nurse. "Before you kill me, ask the Hokage about all this. He set forth a law that forbids us adults from telling your generation what really happened on the day Kyuubi was defeated by Yondaime."

"Shut up." said Sasuke. 2 and 3/4ths pounds of pressure were on the trigger, and Sasuke was just about to make it 3 pounds, which would make the gun fire, when Sarutobi burst in and stopped him.

"Sasuke, stand down. That's an order." he said sternly.

"Hokage-sama, I've had it with these people calling Naruto a demon!" said Sasuke. "He may be an army brat, but he is in no way a demon! I found this pathetic excuse of a woman trying to kill Naruto while he sleeps. Just like a filthy little rat."

"Good thing you apprehended her then." said Sarutobi. Nodding to his ANBU, they took away the nurse and the scalpel and poofed out of the hospital.

"Still, I am curious about something." said Sasuke, safing his gun. "That nurse said that you had put forth a law forbidding adults from telling us genin about what happened when Yondaime defeated the Kyuubi. Is there something I should know? There is, isn't there?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Looks like my cover's been blown. Sasuke, as soon as Naruto wakes up, gather the rest of the genin and Naruto's closest friends for a top secret meeting here in his room."

"Will do, Hokage-sama." replied Sasuke, his curiosity definitely piqued to the point of driving him mad.

Meanwhile, in the recesses of Naruto's mind, Naruto walked into a room that looked very much like a psychologist's office. Laying down on the sofa, he rested comfortably and was startled when Kyuubi poofed into the room in his hanyou form as a handsome man with fox ears and swishing tails. Currently, he was 'Doctor Kyuubi no Kitsune, Ph.D', and was appropriately dressed in a no-nonsense suit and tie. Reading glasses were perched close to the tip of his nose.

**"So, Kit."** said Kyuubi. **"What brings you to my office?"**

"I don't know." replied Naruto. "I just kinda wandered in here."

**"Well, that's a start. I need to talk to you, anyway."**

"About what?"

**"Your mental health, Naruto. Specifically, your emotions."**

"And why would that be?"

**"It's affecting your physical health. A good amount of surgery was done on you because I couldn't heal you. My inability to help you regenerate was caused by your depression. Tell me, have you been dwelling on anything in particular?"**

"Sakura-chan's death rises to the top pretty fast."

**"There's the root of your depression. Naruto, if I'm not mistaken, you are suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and a rather peculiar form in my opinion."**

"What do you mean?"

"**Let's look at it this way, then. Consider the fact that until a few days ago, you have never lost a team member, at least not one you cared about or knew very well. Combine your recent loss with your already altered mind due to your training in repressing emotion. Add that to the fact that my chakra flow to you can be affected by emotion, and red flags already start going up. To be frank, this is a dangerous situation to both your physical and mental health. You barely survived the wrath of a lynch mob, and the person who saved you was your girlfriend. You better thank her. Anyway, my suggestion is that you let out your emotions on a regular basis. Be it regret for killing someone or joy from success, let it out. Otherwise, you may end up dead from blood loss."**

"Thanks for the advice, Kyuubi."

**"Don't mention it. Now be gone and back to the land of the living, my young friend. Yours are worried about you."**

Naruto opened the office door and stepped out into a dark void. As the door clicked shut behind him, his senses went numb for a moment, and then all feeling returned to him, including the slight poking sensation from the IV. Opening his eyes, he saw a lot of people surrounding him. That was _before_he caught a blur of indigo hair come right at him, and he suddenly found himself in a tight hug. Naruto smiled. His dear Hinata was worried about him.

"Ohayo, Hinata-chan." said the blonde as comfortably as he could while he was embraced.

"Naruto-kun! Thank god you're alive!" cried Hinata. Naruto reached around and patted her back to reassure her as she let tears fall from her eyes.

"Shh... It's all right, Hinata-chan. I'm ok." said the blonde as he embraced his girlfriend. As he let go of her, he noticed the rest of the Rookie 9 were gathered around him.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Naruto, puzzled.

"They came here to see you, army brat." said Sasuke. "Not only that, but the Hokage also wanted all of us to meet here for some sort of classified meeting."

"And I guess it concerns me?" asked Naruto.

"Of course." replied Sasuke. Just then, Sarutobi came into the room.

"Oh good. Everyone's here." said Sarutobi, locking the door behind him. "All right. Before we go any further, let it be known that what is mentioned in this room is not mentioned anywhere else."

The genin nodded, and Sarutobi turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, you have permission to tell the truth about the Kyuubi." said the Hokage. All eyes in the room except for that of Naruto and Sarutobi widened. Naruto sighed.

"So that's what this is all about, huh?" said Naruto, shaking his head. "Very well. All right, as far as you guys know, what happened 12 years ago? How was the Kyuubi 'defeated'?"

"Yondaime used a life-ending jutsu to kill Kyuubi, right?" said Rock Lee of Team 9.

"Hell no." said Naruto, causing his audience's eyes to widen further. "In truth, the Kyuubi could never be killed, as he is a demon. So, my father did the next best thing. He sealed it inside a newborn baby, which was the only way to contain Kyuubi. And since I was the only one born that day..."

"Kyuubi was sealed inside you." said Sasuke disbelievingly. Most of the Rookie 9's males in the room were in shock, and the Kunoichi struggled to choke back the tears they felt coming to their eyes because of their sympathy instinct kicking in.

"Now to be fair," continued Naruto. "It wasn't Kyuubi that triggered this whole mess."

"What do you mean?!"said Sasuke. "Of course he is! Why else would the villagers be calling you Demon boy while they beat you half to death? How the hell can you say Kyuubi isn't responsible for that?"

**"Perhaps I can explain."** said Kyuubi, appearing in the room as an astral projection in his Hanyou form.

"Holy crap!" said Chouji. "This is Kyuubi? But he looks so... friendly."

**"Under most circumstances, I stay in this form and try to befriend people." **said Kyuubi.** "That one night 12 years ago was one of the rare examples of me getting downright angry. Let me show you all what led me to attacking Konoha."**

Kyuubi put up a projection on one of the white walls of the room. On it was a memory as seen through Kyuubi's eyes. It started when he woke up in the morning and greeted his wife, son, and daughter, all of whom were in their Hanyou form. The kunoichi in the room cooed at this, but quieted down and continued watching as Kyuubi narrated.

**"As you can see, life was good for me. I had a beautiful wife and adorable children. Our lives were simple. I would earn money doing odd jobs and provide food for the family by hunting."**

The scene showed Kyuubi walking out the door of his home built into a large cave with a bow and arrow in hand, and as he began to hunt, the scene faded out. The scene faded back in to show Kyuubi walking back to his home, and he broke into a sprint seeing that it was on fire. Running into the burning home as he performed a water jutsu that successfully put out the fire, he watched in horror as a backlit figure shoved a sword through the figure which was undoubtedly his wife. Running towards the scene, he stopped and sank to his knees when he saw the bodies of his children laying on the floor. Looking up, he saw a person with yellow eyes and long black hair bringin down a poison-soaked sword upon him. Kyuubi rolled out of the way and delivered a powerful hit that knocked off the person's head protector. He saw the person sprint out and away from the cave as he picked up the forehead protector. He knew the symbol well. Suddenly, the view turned red, signifying Kyuubi's descent into rage. Growling could be heard and clothing ripped as Kyuubi transformed from his Hanyou form into his more feral form. dashing out of the cave, he sprinted towards Konoha as the scene faded black.

**"Now you all see why I arttacked Konoha. It all started because of one man. The rogue snake sannin, Orochimaru. One day, with Naruto's help, I will avenge the death of my family. Hopefully, that will absolve me of my sins. so please, now that you all know the truth, don't look down on Naruto or treat him differently. He's not the demon. I am. Naruto is my jailor. Please remember that."**

And with that statement, Kyuubi disappeared once again into Naruto's body. Naruto fell asleep once more, the Chakra used in Kyuubi's presentation having taken a toll on him. While the genin stood there comprehending what's been revealed to them, Sarutobi shook in anger slightly, having recognized the person who attacked Kyuubi's family. Hinata noticed this and asked in concern.

"Hokage-sama, is something wrong?" she asked.

"That attacker in the scene, Orochimaru... He used to be one of my students. As if experimenting on human beings wasn't bad enough, he is apparently now responsible for the attack on Konoha by Kyuubi. The next time I see him, I am going to kill him and skin that snake bastard's hide, or die trying."

"That was a nice short nap." said Naruto, waking up abruptly.

"What was the point of falling asleep?" asked Sasuke.

"It doesn't take long for me to recover." replied Naruto, who then turned to Sarutobi. "Hokage-sama, if what you say is true, then you're going to need some guns and body armor. I expect that Orochimaru will most likely have grown in skill since you last saw him. Tell me, how large is that robe you're wearing? I think you might be able to coneal some powerful equipment under those robes."

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2 Days later, Naruto, under the guard of the ANBU, some Jounin, and the rest of the Rookie 9, proceeded to Sakura's funeral. After everyone took turns placing a flower on Sakura's coffin, the casket was lowered into the grave, which was then filled over. Before leaving, Naruto added something to the gravestone. Taking out a gun case, he opened it up and hung Sakura's M11, unloaded and with the bolt locked back by the sling on her gravestone. Standing up, he saluted briefly, a tear rolling out of his eye, and then turned around and walked away. He walked back to Uzumaki estates, with the Rookie 9 plus the Konohamaru Corps in tow. Less than an hour later, the survivors of the lynch mob that attacked Naruto were lined up on a wall and were all killed by a fireball and hot lead, courtesy of the lone Uchiha they had kissed up to so much.


	7. New Team member, Chunin exams start

Konoha Marksman Chapter 7: New team member, Chunin Exam start (now with 30 percent more content!)

A/N: HA! UPDATE IS NOW! Sorry. This isn't MP5, this is actually his brother. I've been helping him on and off with his fics (I first got really involved with the Wave Country chapter) and I read thru chapter 7, turned to him and said, "this could be so much more."

So we made it much more. He wanted to do a whole bunch of more, but I kinda reeled him in because it'd mess up the narrative flow (or lack thereof, haw haw). Hopefully, you enjoy all the little revisions and larger additions! Hopefully the formatting won't be terrible.

BEGIN: HELPFUL INFORMATION

Before I begin this chapter, I'll take time to address those of you who have had an issue with all the weapon names I've been dropping. So, I will explain some of the weapons seen in this story so far.

MP5SD3: The silenced version of Germany's world famous H&K MP5 series of 9mm submachine guns. Differences from later and other versions include extendable stock and lack of ambidextrous (i.e. left and right-handed) fire selector, whose modes are displayed through letters rather than the modern pictograms of the latest versions.

M4 CQBR: The Navy SEALs version of the M4A1 5.56mm assault rifle. The CQBR stands for 'Close Quarters Battle Rifle', which means that it is primarily used for close quarter situations, such as hostage rescue.

SPAS-12: Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun. An Italian-made 12-gauge pump-action shotgun that has the ability to fire its shells consecutively without pumping. Typically equipped with folding stock.

HK416: H&K's Piston-driven version of the M4A1 assault rifle. It is a considered replacement for the M4A1 series, as Colt's version of the gun has been plagued with reliability problems due to its unique type of gas-operation system. Piston-driven systems, like that of the AK-47, are far more reliable.

STI Tactical 5.0 M1911A1: A custom-made version of Colt's famous M1911 .45ACP handgun, which had been around since WWII. The STI Tactical 5.0 is a modernized version meant for use by SWAT teams, and has the necessary components to be operated with either hand.

Desert Eagle .50AE: An Israeli-made .50 caliber handgun that is generally likened to a Ferrari in the world of guns. The Desert Eagle brand model comes in various calibers, such as .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum, and .50 Action Express.

HELPFUL INFORMATION :END

The day after Sakura's funeral, Naruto was now sitting in his armory room, staring forlornly at both his M4 CQBR and his HK416. Both were good guns, one being brand new, and the other, well maintained. Naruto thought back to the tragedy on the bridge and remembered that it wasn't the gun that was the problem, it was the ammo, or specifically, how it was loaded. He had loaded it with a speedloader, and in the process, had dented one of the cartridges. Had that round not been dented, he could've brought _both_ his teammates home alive. Naruto sighed and silently vowed never to make that mistake again, and after doing so, opened his boxes of 5.56mm ammunition and loaded them, one by one, into magazines by hand. 30 minutes later, he had done half of his magazines, but his fingers were pinched so often, that they were cut and bleeding at this point. Still, Naruto pressed on - he'd seen so much more blood on his hands recently.

Hours later, Sasuke came to Naruto's front door and knocked. In response, Naruto invited him in. Sasuke opened the door, and closing it behind him, called out to his teammate.

"Hey Naruto, you in there?" asked the Uchiha.

"In the armory!" yelled Naruto, his voice seeming to get closer to Sasuke. Sasuke walked in the direction of the armory, and was a little unnerved when he saw Naruto's hands.

"Naruto, what the hell have you been doing?" asked Sasuke, watching the blood drip from his comrade's hands.

"Handloading magazines, Sasuke. I'm not going to risk another goddamn dented cartridge." replied Naruto, opening a first aid kit. As he bandaged his hands, he conversed with Sasuke.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Kakashi-sensei simply wanted me to let you know that we're meeting a new teammate at the bridge tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"That's what he said."

Silence. Both were still recovering from their loss. Was it too soon to go out on missions again? Too soon to replace Sakura? Would this replacement teammate slow them down? Would she or he outclass them?

"No," Naruto said under his breath. He'd been thinking those thoughts. "We'll be alright."

"What?"

"It's nothing. Just lost in my thoughts."

"You mean, about the replacement," Sasuke said.

"Well, aren't you?"

"Of course not. No...I mean, yes. I--"

"Stop worrying about it. I'm sure we'll be fine. Kakashi-sensei may seem aloof, but he's no idiot," Naruto said, picking up another magazine to load.

"You're right," Sasuke said, "I'll see you at the bridge, tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you. Oh, by the way, bring your Shrike with you, ok?"

"Why?"

"You'll see."

The next morning, Sasuke came to the bridge early with his Shrike locked inside its gun case. Sasuke waited a few minutes, then he heard the crack of a sniper rifle before Naruto appeared in front of him. Naruto had his ammo drum scroll/ rocket launcher mounted on his back as well as the two unloaded Glock 18's in his shoulder holsters. Naruto had in his hand a gun case, about the same size as that of the Shrike. Sasuke exchanged gun cases with Naruto, who sent the Shrike back to his armory.

"Seems a little heavier," Sasuke said to Naruto, testing the case's weight by raising it up and down.

"For good reason. Open it."

Sasuke opened up his gun case and smirked when he saw the AK-47 inside, plus some accessories, extended-capacity 'banana' magazines, and the RPK drum magazines. Sasuke took the gun out while Naruto created some bunshins to be used as targets. Sasuke loaded a 30-round magazine after mounting a foregrip at the front of the gun. As soon as he pulled the trigger, he learned immediately that using a weapon that operates on 7.62mm rounds is a huge step up from something using 5.56mm ammunition. Hence, the string of curses he uttered when the magazine ran dry and he let the gun fall from his hands as he clutched his shoulder.

"Fuckthathurt!SonofabitchthatgunhurtslikehellFUCK!" said Sasuke in a huff.

"Jeez, Sasuke. You would make a sailor cower with that little string alone." said Naruto.

"Shut up! I'm not used to this!" retorted the Uchiha, picking up another magazine..

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Close to an hour later, Kakashi finally showed up. At this point, Sasuke was trying all sorts of setups for his AK-47, and then Kakashi looked at the book Naruto was reading. The cover read: 'Icha Icha Paradise'.

At this, Kakashi smirked. _Success! _He finally broke Naruto down and made the blonde succumb to the dark side known as perversion! _MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-cough-HA!_

"So, Naruto." said Kakashi, easily concealing his joy beneath his mask. "Aren't you glad I gave you those Icha Icha Paradise books?"

"I don't know. I haven't read them yet." replied Naruto. Kakashi was dumbfounded.

"Wha? B-but y-you're reading it right now, aren't you?" asked the jounin.

"Sun Tzu said that all warfare is based on deception, Kakashi-sensei." replied Naruto. The henge copy of Icha Icha paradise in his hand reverted into its true form, Sun Tzu's Art of War, which Naruto had taken up reading. "Evidently, I succeeded in decieving you."

'_Damn.'_ thought Kakashi. _'Just you wait, Naruto. I'll make you into a mini-me yet!'_

"Anyway, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you guys to your nrew teammate."

As if on cue, a blur leapt from the treeline towards the bridge, and then suddenly a girl appeared next to Kakashi. She was a gorgeous (by Naruto's, Kakashi's, and surprisingly, Sasuke's standards) Kunoichi with flowing, waist-length sky blue hair, which like Sakura's hair, was unique and uncommon. Like Hinata, her demeanor was gentle, and Sasuke could tell that she didn't come off as a fangirl. Bright Hazel-colored eyes expressed her emotion easily on her slightly lean face. She wore an ANBU-style vest with a fishnet overshirt and olive-drab undershirt beneath it, as well as slightly fitted woodland camouflage cargo pants, giving off the impression that she was tomboyish to an extent. Respectfully, she greeted her two teammates.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Nakagawa Mitsuko." said the Kunoichi, bowing.

Having learned to be more open ever since the Wave mission, Sasuke returned the greeting first, a genuine kindly smile on his face.

"Pleased to meet you, Mitsuko-san. I'm Uchiha Sasuke." replied Sasuke.

"Good to have you on the team, Mitsuko-san. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." said Naruto, bowing in respect. After this was done, Kakashi spoke once more.

"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I thought I'd let you know that the annual Chunin Exams are coming up in a couple of weeks," said the Jounin, handing the three sign-up sheets. "If you decide to enter, go with your team to the academy and turn these in next tuesday. Until then, you're all dismissed. Oh, and Naruto, unless you register your guns, you can't use them in the exams."

Meanwhile, Tenshi (angel) Sakura watched the meet with interest. Knowing full well Sasuke would need to move on, she decided the least she could do was lead Sasuke into a romantic relationship with a girl that was not _Ino-pig_ or any other of the Uchiha fangirls. And then, she read Mitsuko like an open book and came to a conclusion.

"She's perfect! Now to set things in motion!" said Tenshi Sakura.

Truth be told, Sasuke felt a bit of attraction towards Mitsuko, and Mitsuko herself felt slightly attracted to him. Sasuke had just experienced love at first sight, and turned a little red when he found himself gazing somewhat dreamily into Mitsuko's eyes. Ironically, Mitsuko had done the same thing. Naruto, being the perceptive boy he was, smirked at the thought of a steady relationship going on between Sasuke and the new Kunoichi on their team. However, his mind was mostly occupied by the thought that he may possibly lose his guns during the exams.

_'Hmm, looks like I may have to brush up on Eskrima fighting as well as unarmed combat.'_ thought Naruto _'Eskrima fighting would be useful in case I still have my knife in that sort of situation; I can just carve some large sticks out of any trees.'_

As Team 7 walked through some woods on their way into the center of town, Sasuke suddenly heard metal slicing through the air and quickly shielded Mitsuko. He was not going to let her down like he did Sakura. In doing so, he felt the skin on his bicep get cut open by a shuriken. Naruto immediately brought his Glocks to bear, when they all heard a child's voice cry out in apology.

"Gomen nasai, Sasuke-san! I ended up missing the wooden target by a mile!"

Konohamaru came running towards them, along with his friends, Moegi and Udon. Sasuke immediately relaxed, wincing slightly due to the small cut. Academy students were students for a reason, after all.

"No harm done, Konohamaru-kun. I'll be fine," said Sasuke, accepting the boy's apology. Mitsuko got up from behind him and pulled out a medical kit.

"Here, Sasuke," said Mitsuko, "This should help." Mitsuko rubbed an ointment over the open wound. In seconds, the wound healed and was scar free. Sasuke blushed as he thanked Mitsuko. Meanwhile, this reaction did not go unnoticed by Konohamaru.

"Hey, Sasuke-san! Is she your new girlfriend?!?" Konohamaru asked, his voice full of teasing, his pinkie finger raised.

The Kunoichi and Uchiha blushed, responding with the honest truth that they had recently met and were simply getting to know each other. Naruto chided the academy student affectionately.

"Now, now, Konohamaru. Keep teasing them, and I'll take back the gift I have for you."

"Ah, gomen, Naruto-nii-san," replied the little boy. "You have a present for me? Where is it?"

"Ask, and ye shall recieve," replied Naruto. Taking out a small vial of glitter, he proceeded to make an elaborate show of summoning Konohamaru's present. He took a pinch, blew it into the air, and after forming the ram seal, snapped his fingers and snatched the gun case that appeared in a puff of smoke in midair. Handing it to Konohamaru, the academy student's eyes lit up when he opened the case.

"You're the best, Nii-san!" said the little boy, hugging Naruto. inside the case was a Walther G22 .22LR caliber semi-automatic carbine. As menacing as that sounds, it was really nothing more than something to practice marksmanship with. It wasn't a military or police weapon, just a simple and fun 'plinking' gun. It came with a 10x scope, and Naruto added 5 10-round magazines that loaded behind the trigger, signifying that it was of bullpup design, a design type that had the magazine located behind the trigger to allow more barrel space in less room. Naruto also included a foregrip, laser, and flashlight to mount on the accessory rails in case Konohamaru felt like trying out CQB at the shooting house on the Uzumaki estate property.

"Don't go misusing that, Konohamaru." said Naruto. "With that great weapon comes great responsibility. You use it to practice accuracy, and in worst-case scenarios, to protect your precious people. Remember that."

"Hai, Nii-san." replied the boy, reclosing the gun case. Naruto took it, and sent it to the Sarutobi compound with a Jutsu, knowing someone would put it somewhere safe. Then, someone's stomach grumbled, and none of them could trace the source. Still, Naruto decided it was time for lunch. And since Konohamaru and his friends were not in school, as it was a weekend, Sasuke and Mitsuko agreed to take them along after being asked by Naruto. So, the party of six had lunch at Ichiraku Ramen. While the others had Ramen the normal way, Naruto enjoyed his Ramen better when there was rice. Konohamaru was rightfully puzzled.

"Nii-san, Why do you eat your Ramen with rice?" asked the little boy.

"It's a practice called Carbo-loading," replied Naruto. "You see Konohamaru, Carbohydrates are the main part of the five food groups that sustain a person's healthy diet, just as meat, vegetables, and milk provide Protein for muscle mass, Vitamins for immune strength, and Calcium for stronger bones and teeth, respectively. However, each and every human body works differently. In my case, I have a high metabolism, which means I burn up fuel from food extremely fast. Also, I have a lot of exercise, considering all the weight I carry in addition to using my ninja abilities. Such is the reason you see me eating rice with my Ramen."

"And that also explains why Naruto is a stamina freak," butted in Sasuke, "He has the appetite to surpass that of an Akimichi, yet they would probably drop from exhaustion sooner than he would."

After a few more minutes of eating, talking, and laughing, Naruto paid their tab, and the group walked around Konoha again, doing a little shopping along the way. When they settled down in one area, Konohamaru challenged Naruto to a game of ninja. Despite finding it slightly redundant, Naruto still decided to look for Konohamaru and his friends. After quickly finding Moegi and Udon, Naruto set off to find Konohamaru. As he rounded a corner, Naruto tensed up as he saw Konohamaru being held by the scruff of his neck. The offender was a boy in a full black body suit with a hood, and attached to his back was a wrapped bundle with a tuft of fur sticking out at the top. Flanking the boy was a Blonde-haired girl with a fan strapped to her back, telling the boy repeatedly to let Konohamaru go.

"Kankuro, cut that out this instant! You're going to cause trouble, and we've just arrived!" said the girl.

"No, Temari." replied the boy tersely. "I'm gonna teach this little punk to watch where he's going, even if I have to beat that into him."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." said Naruto. The boy and girl looked up to see Naruto walking toward them. "You see, that's the Hokage's grandson. Surely, I don't need to explain to you what _that_ implies."

A look of shock crossed the girl's face as she turned to the boy and hissed, "I knew something was up! Let that kid go before you get us into any deeper shit!"

"No." replied the boy, staring Naruto down. "You really think you can save this kid?"

"Yes." replied Naruto, right hand slowly reaching for his gun. He returned Kankuro's stare. "Now, I ask you: do you really think beating a little boy will accomplish anything? Besides, you're a long way off from home, boy - have you forgotten that? Do something rash and I think it'd be very easy for people to 'forget' you, if you get my drift."

Having no choice, Kankuro slowly put Konohamaru back on his feet. Naruto pulled Konohamaru to safety. Naruto then spun around to face Kankuro.

"Judging from that little bundle you have on your back, you use puppets in battle, right?" asked Naruto.

"That's correct." replied Kankuro. "What's that on your back, though? There's no way that's an ordinary scroll. They don't get that big."

"Ah, a perceptive one." said Naruto, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes. "Well, the only way for you to find out is to throw down."

"You mean right here and now? Sure. Less competition for the Chunin exams." replied Kankuro, beginning to unwrap the puppet. As soon as it was completely unwrapped, it charged at Naruto, who shifted the Rocket Launcher and ammo drum off his back, got on a knee, aimed, and fired the rocket. Kankuro saw this a little too late, and severed the connection so that he and Temari could run for cover. The rocket detonated, turning the puppet into a mass of ashes, sawdust, and splinters. Kankuro emerged from behind cover, horrified at what his puppet had been turned into.

"You bastard! I'm gonna make you pay for that!" shouted Kankuro, pulling out a Kunai. Suddenly, an ominous voice rang out from nowhere.

**"Enough."**

Kankuro dropped the kunai as he and Temari shakily turned towards the source of the voice. A red-haired boy with a gourd on his back looked menacingly down on Temari and Kankuro. Within Naruto, Kyuubi sensed something unusual about the boy.

"**Naruto, If I'm not mistaken, that kid is the container for Shukaku, the one-tailed Tanuki. And from the looks on that seal on his forehead, Shukaku has been put in a state of constant aggression, preventing the boy from sleeping. I'm surprised he hasn't succumbed to fatigue. Look, I have a jutsu to deal with exactly this type of situation. Get him aside, make an offer, and let me do the work. I'll actually teach it to you once it's all done**." said Kyuubi.

"Fine, Kyuubi. I'm placing my trust in you, so don't let me down." replied Naruto as the redhead walked up to him.

"I must apologize for my siblings' insolence." said the boy. "My name is Subaku no Gaara, and my brother and sister are Subaku no Kankuro and Subaku no Temari."

"Uzumaki Naruto. Hey, before you go, I have an offer to make you." replied Naruto.

"Make it quick, Uzumaki-san." said Gaara, ready to kill Naruto without batting an eye.

"My inner tenant says your inner tenant has been rather disagreeable when it comes to letting you sleep to the point that it's driven you homicidally insane. We can help you solve this issue once and for all."

"Fine, it's your funeral if you fail." said Gaara, allowing his siblings to go on without him.

"Please. I can stare death in the face, laugh, and then kick its ass into next week. It's the same story with torture." said Naruto, leading Gaara to a secluded rooftop. Upon arrival, Gaara watched as Naruto became partially possessed by Kyuubi. Kyuubi spoke to Gaara in the same manner and voice as a physician would.

"**Hold still, Gaara-san. You may feel a slight stinging sensation.**" said Kyuubi as he began flashing through a flurry of seals. Ending on the ram seal, he took two fingers and pressed it to Gaara's head.

"**Inpan****kyouka no Jutsu!** (Seal Reinforcement technique)" roared Kyuubi as the technique activated, sending all its energy into the seal. Gaara winced, then blacked out. Gaaara woke up in his mind, and saw Naruto and Kyuubi in front of him.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Gaara, worried that Shukaku could attack them at any moment.

"**Relax, Gaara.**" said Kyuubi. "**I'm here to check on the condition of my old friend.**"

And as it would turn out, not only were Shukaku and Kyuubi old friends, but also drinking buddies. Kyuubi brought over a six-pack of Corona beer, and as a side effect, when Naruto and Gaara bid each other a good night, they each merrily staggered their way home. Kankuro and Temari could have a laugh at Gaara's expense without retaliation, for once. As soon as the Shukaku container lay down on his bed, he was out like a light.

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When Naruto awoke the next morning, he felt a little lightheaded, but some Tylenol made him feel the ground beneath his feet a little better. Getting out of bed, he looked outside his window when he heard a commotion in the distance. Atop the Hokage monument/mountain were three Russian military surplus Mi-25 'Hind' D Attack/Transport Helicopters. However, these weren't delivered stock; Naruto gave orders specifically to outfit the aircraft with more modern and American aircraft weapons systems and other options to make the model unique to Konoha. Thus, much of the extra weight that had prohibited the helicopter from prolonged hovering and made it require a rolling takeoff was removed and replaced by a mixture of durable, weight-saving materials such as Titanium, Aluminum, and Carbon fiber. The only Russian weaponry remaining on the Hind was a pair of 4x80mm S-8 Rocket pods. Other than that, the dual Isotov TV-3 engines powering the stock titanitum propellers were yanked out and replaced by Amercian-made Lycoming T55-GA-714 turboshaft engines, increasing the Hind's horsepower from 4,400 hp to a whopping 10,138 hp.

Weapons systems mounted on the more 'Americanized' Hind D included a 25mm Bushmaster Anti-tank Chaingun, a pair of Hydra 70mm rocket pods, and 4 Hellfire missiles. Taking a page from the UH-60 Black Hawk, the door guns were M134 7.62mm Miniguns. Finally, the instrument panel was now more similar to the Black Hawk in its usage of electronics. Naruto smiled as he watched the villagers mill about the aircraft, marveling at them. They were expensive, but if Naruto got the design right, he eventually could be building them in a factory and exporting them to friendly nations.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, part of Naruto's master plan to turn Konoha into a serious military superpower was to set up a Private Military Company that could provide a great amount of income for Konoha. And by pooling a reasonable amount of funds from his inheritance and his own money, Naruto was able to buy some air support for Konoha. Now, Naruto had to get some pilots on board to fly them and create some future pilots. Naruto picked up the satellite phone he kept in his room and made some calls.

"Hey, Kyle? Yeah, It's me, Naruto. Listen, I have some job openings for you and the other guys where I live." said Naruto as soon as the person on the other end picked up. "Yeah, it's a shame Blackwater laid you guys off. Hope you guys are still good flyers-- Don't worry, I'm not doubting your skills. I know you guys used to fly for the Army, Navy, and Marines. Anyway, make sure Ryan and Ike get word of this, too. They'll want in, especially after Blackwater Air laid them off. See you guys in a week or two, then? Cool."

Naruto hung up the phone and got dressed for yet another day in Konoha. Aside from signing his forms, he also registered some of his firearms, which if lost during the second part of the Chunin exam, would be returned to him at its conclusion. For today, he most likely going to meet up with his team for training and then, free time would be spent admiring the new equipment roving about Konoha, including the helicopters that had come in.

A little background on his three colleagues reveals that they were all ex-military pilots. Kyle was a former 82nd Airborne Division helicopter pilot who had experience in flying all sorts of choppers, including the Hind Mi-35 P-model, which was the export model used for adversary training in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Ryan was a former 160th SOAR 'Night Stalkers' Pilot with experience in flying transport helicopters such as the MH-53E Pave Low, the MH-60 Black Hawk, and the MH-6 'Little Bird'. Now, Ike was unique in that he is a native of the Phillipines. He is the immediate descendant of a former 'Air America' Pilot who flew clandestine missions during the latter years of the Vietnam War. In a way, Ike carried on the tradition by flying Philippine special forces around during their counter-guerilla operations against the Abu Sayaaf Terrorist group. Thus, Ike was no stranger to dodging RPG's while jinking around rice paddies, much like what his father had to do during the Vietnam War.

Naruto walked out into downtown Konoha, ignoring the cold stares directed towards him. Stares, he didn't give a shit about; when someone attacks him, however, that was a different story. Concealed beneath his grey cloth vest were two different handguns in a custom shoulder holster rig. In the one holster was a Desert Eagle .50AE handgun and in another, a STI Tactical 5.0 M1911A1 .45ACP pistol. Thus, should any villager attack him, he could drop them even if they were high on stimulants like. The ANBU had his back on the subject, too. Considering what happened a few days ago, he was long overdue for retaliation. But as far as he was concerned, he would rather not be forced to use them. Coming to the meeting location, he saw Sasuke and Mitsuko walking towards it as well. After greeting each other, they only had to wait a few more minutes before Kakashi came walking towards them with a long gun case in each hand and one mounted on his back. Naruto already thought this to be odd. Things were cleared up, however, when Kakashi explained the reason for the gun cases.

"All right, everyone. Hokage-sama contacted me and handed me these weapons because starting today, we train as a specialist squad. For example, Team 8 is the tracker squad, and Team 9 is the assassin squad. Today, because of Naruto and Sasuke's proficiency in Small Arms usage, we are now the Special Tactics And Weapons Assault Squad (STAWAS)."

As soon as Kakashi stopped speaking, Naruto asked to see the guns. Opening the cases, he frowned and looked up at Kakashi again.

"Sensei, something doesn't add up." said Naruto. "Two of these guns are bone-stock. Why didn't Hokage-sama ask to use my guns? I would've gladly loaned them out."

"That's mainly because your guns' settings are all modified to suit your needs. With these guns, anyone can take them and easily get comfortable with whatever settings are made. However, I'm asking you to provide any accessories as needed." replied Kakashi.

"I can arrange that!" said Naruto, pulling out a scroll. He summoned everything in it and before Team 7 lay a plethora of weapons accessories, ranging from sighting systems such as scopes and lasers, to complete barrel-mounted secondary weapons systems such as underbarrel grenade launchers like the M203 and the Russian GP-30 and entry shotguns like the Remington M870 Masterkey system. And since one can never have too much ammunition, High-capacity magazines and drum magazines were also present.

"All right." said Kakashi, hefting an M4 with a Rail Integrated System (RIS). "First, Sasuke has the position of Pointman, so that means he is responsible for breaching locked doors and doing the majority of clearing a room. Sasuke, that means you should grab a Quick-aim sight, a 50-round Hi-cap, and a Remington Masterkey."

The Uchiha did as told, and grabbed some tools to begin the work on his assigned weapon. Next, Kakashi picked up a highly-customized AK-47, whose barrel had been shortened, almost to the point where it looked like its grandson, the AKS-74U. Like the M4 Sasuke recieved, it had an RIS, except that it was very minimal.

"Naruto, you have the role of support." continued Kakashi. "Thus, you'll be carrying the most ammo. I'll leave you to decide what to do with it."

Within minutes, Naruto returned from the customization area with an Aimpoint sight sitting atop the gun's scope rail and with an RPK 40-round magazine inserted into the gun. Also present were two more 40-round magazines attached to the inserted one with velcro bindings, and nestled inside mesh nets attached to the stock were two 75-round RPK drum magazines. Kakashi was impressed.

"Wow, Naruto That was fast. Really fast!" said Kakashi, incredulous. Clearing his facade of awe, Kakashi picked up an MP5K-PDW, which was an MP5 converted into a machine pistol with a folding stock for stability. Turning to Mitsuko, he gave the blue-haired Kunoichi the rundown on her role in Team 7's STAWAS. "Mitsuko, you now have the role of medic, and to a certain extent, the Rear Guard. Basically, your job is to hang back, but not too far, in case Naruto or Sasuke get hurt. Also, should the team have to retreat, you will have the task of stringing up your wires in creative ways to stop or slow the enemy's pursuit. Here's your gun. Naruto probably knows what can be done to it to suit your needs."

A worried look crossed Mitsuko's face. "Demo, Kakashi-sensei, I've never fired a gun. At all."

"I can help you with that." said Naruto, walking over to Mitsuko. In minutes, Mitsuko felt comfortable enough at the trigger as he went to his own firing lane to use his custom AK-47. Naruto went as far as to get Mitsuko started with her MP5K's customizations, as well. It included a basic laser/flashlight aiming ensemble, a reflex sight, a Knight's Armament Company supressor, and three 30-round magazines attached together with an aluminum magazine clamp. For the rest of the morning, the new Team 7's time was spent shooting targets as well as practicing hostage rescue and other CQB scenarios. Many a time, Sasuke creatively used his Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu to breach and clear certain areas, saving precious seconds and shotgun shells. Naruto perforated many a target with his AK-47, and when it came time for escape and evasion training, Mitsuko shined in her skill by rigging traps for Naruto's pursuing Kage bunshins to disarm or be killed by. All three were impressed by their assigned weapons and were ready to take them home when Kakashi advised against it. He pointed to a leaf symbol engraved onto each gun and explained its purpose.

"See that seal?" said Kakashi, pointing to the engraving. "That means that the gun now belongs to the Konoha Special Weapons Armory. Unless you plan to buy it, you have to return it after each mission or training session at the Hokage's office. I'll do that for you guys now, so enjoy the rest of the day." With that, Kakashi disappeared, taking the guns with him.

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A couple of days later found Team 7's Genin sitting in the shade of a large tree, relaxing after a rather mundane "mission." To Naruto, it had strangely seemed like an _errand_. Suddenly, Naruto's phone went off, and after answering it, called his teammates' attention.

"Guys, if you want to come along, I have to meet some old friends of mine at the gate." said Naruto.

"Sure, we'll come." replied Sasuke, and then paused a beat. "That is, if it's all right with Mitsuko-chan."

Said Kunoichi blushed and replied, "I'll come, Sasuke-kun, you don't have to ask my permission."

Later, the three Genin were at the main gate, watching as a Humvee being driven by Toboketsu Jounin Shiranui Genma, made its way to the security checkpoint. Hayate Gekkou rode in the gunner position, his gloved hands comfortably resting on the spade grips of the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun in front of him. Naruto smiled, knowing that his plan was well underway. The Humvee rolled to a stop, and out of it stepped none other than Kyle, Ryan, and Ike. Identifying themselves, the three pilots were let through. Upon doing so, Kyle was tackled by Naruto, and in response, gave the blonde a good old fashioned noogie to the head. The other two pilots smiled and shook their heads, as did Sasuke and Mitsuko. After the display of camaraderie, Naruto introduced his pilot colleagues to his team.

"Kyle, Ryan, Ike, I'd like you to meet my teammates. There's Uchiha Sasuke, my team's pointman, and Nakagawa Mitsuko, my team's medic and rear guard. Guys, in Western naming conventions, these are my colleagues, Kyle York, Ryan Clark, and 'Ike' Rizal." said Naruto as his two teammates bowed.

Kyle went up to Sasuke, unaware of Eastern naming conventions, and greeted him.

"Nice to meet you, Uchiha." said Kyle. Immediately, he sensed something wrong whent he saw Sasuke both sweatdrop and shake a little in anger. Naruto saw this and immediately pulled Kyle aside.

"Uh, Kyle." said Naruto. "Around here, they go by family name first, followed by their first name. It's rather offending if you immediately greet them using their family name without adding an honorific like -san, for example."

"Oh." replied the American, now thoroughly embarrassed. "Sorry about that, Sasuke-san."

"It's fine. Mistakes are made from time to time. Anyway, It's nice to meet you, York-san."

"Just call me Kyle, Sasuke. I don't mind."

Naruto interrupted after introductions were finished, wanting to get his colleagues acquainted with their new machines.

"Ok, let's get down to buisness. Kyle, Ike, Ryan, I'll have someone drop your stuff off at my place, and the six of us can go check out the new 'birds that came in."

Naruto, having some pull with the Jounin and Chunin beginning to warm up to him, had Genma drop off his colleagues' luggage at Uzumaki estates. Genma did so respectfully, and meanwhile, Naruto called in an APC for their transportation to the new helipad atop Hokage mountain. All six people hopped inside the Stryker, which steadily made its way up the mountain pass. When they all dismounted, everyone except Naruto stared at the helicopters in awe. The flat black coloring of the helicopters was intimidating enough without the weapons. The weapons bristling about the helicopters would unnerve even the hardiest of Jounins, and were the weapons active and the helicopter in the air, would probably make an Akatsuki member wet their undergarments in fear, that is, if they were alone.

"Holy crap, Naruto." said Kyle in disbelief. "How much time and money do you have?"

"A lot." answered Naruto smugly, before continuing. "This is the reason I called all three of you here. You three will now comprise the leaders of Konoha's Air Support Squad. However, I suggest you guys consider recruitment for repairmen, gunners, and copilots. Congrats, fellas. You now have a better job."

"How much are you talking, Naruto?" asked Ryan, not taking his eyes off the helicopters.

"Well, considering you guys will probably be asked to hold a position that does high-risk missions, you'll most likely be doing force protection and VIP transport, so that amounts to six-figure incomes each month. However, you'll have to work for it because you need to go through qualifications first. You may have to spend about a month in ninja training before taking to the skies. I can help you guys if I'm not busy, though." offered Naruto. Watching his old friends mull it over, they came to a consensus and accepted. Naruto directed them to go to the Hokage's office, let administration know they were applying to become Konoha Ninja, and there, the three pilots began their ninja training.

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"...And I nominate Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Nakagawa Mitsuko for the Chunin exams under my name, Hatake Kakashi." said Kakashi. Currently, he, along with Asuma and Kurenai, were nominating their teams. All was going well until Iruka made an objection.

"I'm concerned, Kakashi." said Iruka. "Are you sure Naruto is ready for these exams?"

"Iruka, you don't have to worry." butted in Sarutobi. "Naruto has 6 years of military training and combat experience under his belt. And if his actions in Wave prove anything, it is that he is loyal to his teammates to the end. He is not one to leave behind a comrade, even if said comrade has left this earthly plane. Psychologically and Physically, he is fit, and can certainly handle himself."

"What about Sakura's replacement? What about Mitsuko?" said Iruka. "Have we proven her skill level yet?"

"No. But I can have Naruto and Sasuke do it in secret." replied Kakashi.

"Then make it happen." replied Iruka. "I don't want her killed in the exams because her skill turns out to be underdeveloped."

"Sure." replied Kakashi, who had now produced a copy of Icha Icha Paradise. "Just let me finish this chapter..."

"NOW, Kakashi." said Sarutobi.

"All right, All right. I'm going." said Kakashi, shutting the book. "Hold this for me," he added, handing the book to Sarutobi. And in a puff of smoke, Kakashi disappeared, leaving everyone in the room bewildered.

"All right everyone." said Sarutobi. "You are dismissed."

Once everyone filed out of the room, Sarutobi ensured that there was no one watching and cracked open Icha Icha Paradise.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto were eating Ramen at Ichiraku Ramen stand. Mitsuko had decided to pursue alternative choices for lunch, leaving the two of them to talk.

"So." said Naruto. "What do you think of Mitsuko-san?"

"I think she's cool." replied Sasuke.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Yeah - actually, she's kind of cute."

Naruto almost choked on a mouthful of noodles. "Cute? (cough) Cute!?!? (sputter) What?!? Angsty, Broody Sasuke Uchiha used the c-word to describe a girl?!? Oh lord, let me go see if the sun has turned blood red!"

"Keep it down, geez!" said Sasuke. "And I'm not broody."

"Admit it." teased Naruto. "You act all broody and angsty because it attracts the ladies. And when it does, you get a huge ego boost."

"Not really, no," replied Sasuke. "I'm just angsty and broody, as you call it, because I want to isolate myself - that's just the way I am. In fact, let me prove that I can make a fangirl swoon without being angsty."

"Do it then," said Naruto. Sasuke then got out of his seat and walked into the street right up to a relatively pretty girl. Sasuke tapped her on the shoulder, and the moment she turned around, he went into Bishounen mode.

"Excuse me, miss." said Sasuke. "But I couldn't help but notice how pretty you are." Sasuke pulled out a rose to emphasize what he said and presented it to the girl.

The Kunoichi stood in stunned silence for a moment. Then, she erupted in an excited squeal.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! SASUKE-KUN THINKS I'M PRETTY! WHOAMYGOD! (SPLODE)"

And then, the fangirl swooned and fainted with a smile on her face. Sasuke walked back to Naruto, a smug look on his face.

"Cheater." said Naruto "You used Bishounen mode. And that rose took it over the top. Where the hell did you get it, anyway?!"

"From out of thin air." replied Sasuke. "That's how Bishounen mode works. And besides, isn't that standard operating procedure?"

"Fine." said Naruto. "I'll see you that fangirl, and raise you one."

Naruto turned on his heel and walked outside and up to pair of Kunoichis that were chatting with each other. Naruto turned on the charm by going into Bishounen mode.

"Sorry to bother you, ladies,", began Naruto. "but I really need the help of two fine women such as yourselves. My back is killing me, and I heard all Kunoichi are trained at least in the basics of Shiatsu massage. Could you please help me?"

Naruto then produced two red roses and unzipped his jacket, revealing his well-toned chest. Presenting his gifts to the Kunoichi pair, he added, "By the way, these are for you two."

The Kunoichi were speechless. Naruto knew that it would take a few seconds to register in their heads. '_3...2...1.'_

"OH MY GOD! NARUTO-KUN IS SO HOT AND SEXY!" said the Kunoichi in unison before fainting. Naruto walked back to Sasuke, who was impressed.

"Ah, The Striptease Technique." said Sasuke. "Very effective, but I have yet to try it out myself."

"Before you do, I suggest you take a vacation. Preferably a nice beach setting that no one in Konoha has been to before that is warm year round."

"Why?"

"No offense, but have you looked in a mirror lately? You're really pale. You need some sun, Sasuke."

"Can you reccommend a good place?"

"Well, I--Wait. What's that rumbling noise?"

Naruto and Sasuke turned their attentions to their water glasses. They took notice of the ripples suddenly forming, and their faces immediately grew scared. Naruto realized that like a zombie, a fangirl's squeal could carry over the wind for miles, signaling to other fangirls that there was a Bishounen nearby ready to be captured and turned into their boy-toys or worse, forced into yaoi relationships with other captured Bishounen. Naruto heard the unmistakable 'Ka-chak' of a Pump-action 12-gauge shotgun. He turned around to see Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, pointing a shotgun in his face as well as Sasuke's.

"Get out." said Teuchi coldly. "I'll be damned if I let you two ruin my property because of those damn fangirls."

_Why did I give him that shotgun, anyway?_ thought Naruto. As the fangirls approached, he turned to Sasuke as he pulled equipment out of a small knapsack he carried with him.

"Sasuke, we're trying to be evasive here. Follow me."

Naruto took two smoke grenades and tossed them into opposite sides of the street. As soon as a heavy screen of smoke built up, the two rushed across the street in crouched positions, so as not to be spotted. However, before they were even completely across the street and out of sight, the mob of fangirls burst through the smoke, and spotted them immediately. The two boys broke into full sprints, but screeched to a stop when their exit was cut off by more fangirls at the other end of the alley. Having no choice, the two pumped chakra to their feet and sprinted up the walls of a nearby building. Reaching the rooftop, they collapsed to their knees momentarily to regain their breath. Suddenly, they heard a loud BANG behind them, and raised their weapons at the noise. They saw Kakashi putting his hands up.

"Whoa. Sorry, guys. Is this a bad time?" asked the Jounin. Suddenly, the door on the rooftop burst open, and all three saw a rush of fangirls coming towards them. Kakashi smirked uner his mask, and without a word, grabbed Naruto and Sasuke and all three teleported out of the area, leaving the fangirls confused and disappointed.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto reappeared in a forested area on the outskirts of Konoha.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei." said Naruto. "We would've been toast without you."

"Don't thank me yet. I have a favor to ask of you boys." said Kakashi. "Iruka wants me to have you guys test Mitsuko's combat skills. Don't use any guns in doing so; your job is to also keep hidden and not reveal your identities. How you do it is up to you both. That is all."

Kakashi poofed away, leaving the two to hammer out a plan.

* * *

Mitsuko was walking out of the restaurant she finsished eating at, intent on finding her team again. As she walked down the street, she passed by what looked to be two cloaked ANBU operatives wearing a Fox and Bird mask. Thinking nothing of it, she continued further down the street. A heavy fog suddenly rolled in, and Mitsuko became extremely wary. In the trees surrounding her, The fox-masked ANBU curled his arm back, a multitude of kunai in his hand.

* * *

Kakashi reappeared back at the Hokage's office to retrieve his book. He noticed that the bookmark he placed now lay on the desk.

"So, Hokage-sama, I see you got to where I am!" said Kakashi cheerfully. "So, what did you think of that threesome between Junko, Kazuhiko and Keiko?"

"Cant talk right now." responded Sarutobi, a line of red across his face. "I'm already on Chapter 30."

Kakashi's reaction was one of shock that slowly dissolved into rage. Angrily, he swiped the book out of Sarutobi's hands and took the bookmark with him. Still enraged, he let loose an angry statement at Sarutobi.

"GIVE ME THAT BACK!" shouted Kakashi. "NO ONE, AND I MEAN NO ONE, MAKES A FOOL OUT OF HATAKE KAKASHI BY READING AHEAD!"

With that, Kakashi huffed and teleported out of the room. Sarutobi simply chuckled and opened a drawer with his own copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

_'Doesn't really matter.'_ thought the closet pervert Hokage. _'Jiraiya always gives me the first copy of his books.'_

* * *

The Kunai were hurled at Mitsuko, whose only warning was the sound of the knives whistling through the air. She leapt away a split second before the Kunai imbedded themselves where she had stood. More Kunai came whistling at her until she deftly looped one of her wires through a Kunai handle, tied it off, and whipped it at the source of the attacking kunai. The fox-masked attacker was pulled form the tree down to the ground, where Mitsuko immediately leapt upon him and buried one of her own kunai to its hilt into theskull of her target. A puff of smoke revealed the kunai was buried into a log.

"Damn, he used Kawarimi." said Mitsuko. Looking up for a split second, she ducked down as two blazing windmill shuriken embedded themselves in nearby trees, scorching the bark. Popping up, Mitsuko entangled the bird-masked attacker, pulled him towards her, and stabbed her kunai into his chest, only to reveal yet another log, a sign that he too, used Kawarimi no Jutsu. Luckily, the fog lifted, and all that was left were the logs, Mitsuko, and all the expended kunai. She picked them all up and carried them with her, looking at one of the many kunai thrown at her. She examined it, and it seemed relatively well maintained. When she palmed the kunai, though, it felt strange.

"What are these things made of?"

* * *

At training ground 7, Naruto and Sasuke sat down and took off their ANBU outfits as they caught their breath. The two discussed what they had done.

"Well, I can say with confidence that Mitsuko is ready for the exams." said Naruto, massaging his cheek. "She makes a mean faceplant."

"I did notice something while you were attacking." interrupted Sasuke. "Those Kunai seemed to bounce before they hit the ground. What was up with that?"

"Well, you see, they weren't real kunai." said Naruto sheepishly.

"Really?" said Sasuke. "Then what are they made of?"

"Rubber." responded Naruto, taking out one of the said Kunai. He held it in his hand, and started stabbing at his wrist, but the kunai kept bending. "See? I can't commit suicide!"

Sasuke sweatdropped as Naruto stopped poking himself and then began poking him with kunai instead. After a few seconds, Naruto realized he began to annoy Sasuke. So, he handed over the Kunai to Sasuke.

"Go ahead, stab me in the arm!"

Reluctantly, Sasuke thrusted the Kunai into Naruto's arm, but the results were not what he expected.

"AAAAARGH!" cried Naruto in pain. A horrified Sasuke pulled the Kunai away to see something red and sticky painting the tip of the Kunai.

"Naruto, you told me that these things weren't real!"

Naruto's cries of pain transformed into laughter. Pulling his hand away from the 'wound', he showed Sasuke his palm to reveal bursted Ketchup packets.

"You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book, man!" said Naruto, howling with laughter. "What, you didn't think I was serious when I told you these were made of rubber?"

Sasuke was truly embarrassed that he'd been played for a fool. So, he decided to change the subject.

"Hey, when you threw those kunais, I have to say that you make some seriously convincing near-misses."

"Actually, to be honest, I was trying to hit Mitsuko with those knives the entire time."

"Really? Why? Wouldn't the fact that they were rubber give us away?"

Naruto had no answer for that one. He and Sasuke remained silent until the Uchiha 's shoulder began to shake, then an audible chuckle escape his mouth that grew into a giggle, and then full blown laughter. Sasuke was rolling on the ground when he realized the irony of the situation.

"Oh, man! This is rich, heheh! Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's master of CQC knife fighting, can't throw a kunai to save his life?! I gotta tell Mitsuko now!"

"Don't you dare tell a soul, Sasuke." said Naruto, Glaring, almost as if he was trying to burn a hole in Sasuke's head. Sasuke laughed nervously and immediately retracted his statement. Then, getting up, they walked out of the training grounds to find Mitsuko

* * *

"So, Mitsuko-san, did anyone attack you today?" asked Naruto, before realizing he had blown his and Sasuke's cover. The aforementioned Uchiha slapped his forehead and Mitsuko stared at him.

"How do you know I got attacked?"

"Well, Kakashi-sensei asked us to test your skills at Iruka-sensei's behest. He was afraid you might get killed in the exams."

"So who threw the kunai?"

Naruto raised his hand.

"You make pretty convincing near misses, then."

"Actually, the Kunai are made of rubber. I really was trying to hit you."

"Then your aim sucks, Naruto."

Sasuke began giggling uncontrollably, and it began to annoy Naruto to no end.

"Look, I know I can hit dead center of a target from a quarter-mile away with a 7.62mm rifle with a decent scope no problem. But I am willing to admit that Kunai throwing is not one of my strengths! I have tried and tried, but I still cannot hit a target dead center with one goddamn Kunai!"

"Let's test your claim, then." said Sasuke.

After reporting to Kakashi and Iruka, Team 7 made their way to the outdoor shooting range at Uzumaki estates. Naruto drew a grinning face on a sillhouette target for demonstration purposes.

"Sasuke, spot my shots with the binoculars. I'm going to make that target look like a hockey player." said Naruto as he lay in the prone position. Taking the safety off on his Accuracy International PM sniper rifle, he looked through the scope as he spotted his target a quarter-mile away. Exhaling, he squeezed the trigger. The resounding crack of the 7.62mm round echoed off the trees surrounding the property, but Sasuke kept watch of the target. A split-second later, he noticed the toothy grin on the sillhouette target was suddenly gapped with a missing teeth. Naruto fired a second shot, this time removing a canine tooth. Sasuke handed Mitsuko the binoculars and she was amazed at what she saw when Naruto cranked out a third round that blew out the target's pupil. Naruto then lifted the bolt and locked it open. Getting up from prone position, he took a batch of Kunai and faced a tree trunk with a circular target pattern cut into the face of it. Naruto stood 20 feet away and flung a kunai at the log. Miss. He tried again. Also a miss. Frustrated, Naruto took a handful of the troublesome knives and flung them as hard as he could. 3 kunai grazed the sides of the log and fell to the ground while one of them flew off into the distance, never to be seen again. Naruto lost his temper, grabbed one last kunai, sprinted to the log, kicked it into the air, and stabbed the log. When he attempted to remove the kunai and failed because of its depth, Naruto lost it and simply swung the log and kunai like a hammer in a circular arc and launched it into the sky, just missing a crow that happened to be flying by. As he picked up his rifle and stomped back towards his house, Mitsuko and Sasuke were rolling on the ground, dying of laughter at Naruto's antics.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

At another training field inside the forests of Konoha, the members of Team Gai (Team 9) were discussing this year's entrants for the Chunin exams.

"Did you guys hear? All three Rookie teams were nominated for the Chunin exams this year, which means that kid using those western weapons is in it, too." said Rock Lee.

"Western weapons?" said Neji. "Oh, you mean Uzumaki Naruto, the guy who's also dating my cousin."

"Really?" asked Tenten. "I think that's cute!"

"I don't." said Neji. "I think he could do a lot better than my weak cousin. Still, if he touches her wrong in any way..."

"He seems like a nice enough guy, I don't think he'd do anything perverted." replied Tenten. "Still, I'm more interested in that Uchiha guy. On a scale of one to ten, he's a certified twenty in hotness!"

"Dear god." said Neji. "Don't tell me you're turning into one of those blasted fangirls."

"Oh, Neji. You're so cute when you're jealous." said Tenten.

"I'm not jealous." said Neji. "Anyway, Kakashi's team is certainly one to watch out for. The last Uchiha and a former mercenary on the same team? This'll be an interesting challenge."

"I heard they have a Kunoichi that specializes in traps and wire-based fighting." said Tenten. "She'll be one to watch."

"I wonder how she looks." said Lee. "Perhaps I'll ask her out."

"Your brain is in your head, Lee, not your crotch." said Neji.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Lee.

"Nevermind." said Neji. _Christ, even dirty jokes fly right over his head. Must be that haircut of his making him dense._

Tenten giggled. Apparently, Neji could be funny when he wanted to.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Team 9 went to investigate and found a log with 3 gashes on its side and a kunai embedded rather deeply in the target.

* * *

One Week Later...

After bidding his comrades from Blackwater a good day, Naruto joined his team as they went to the academy to sign up for the Chunin exams. As they climbed the stairs, they could hear a crowd of Genin, seemingly upset.

"What do you mean, we can't enter, we're here for the exam!" said one of the foreign ninja.

"Guys," said Naruto. "Something doesn't feel right. Something feels... retarded. That's the best way for me to describe it. Tell me Sasuke, have we climbed two sets of stairs yet?"

"No." replied Sasuke. "We've only climbed one so far."

"I KNEW IT!!" exclaimed Naruto in a loud attention-grabbing voice. "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS RETARDED HERE, AND THE PERPERTATORS OF THIS RETARDEDNESS ARE STANDING AT THE VERY FRONT OF THIS CROWD!"

"You said a mouthful." commented Sasuke. Just then, the crowd parted and the sniffling Chunin known as Hagane Kotetsu could be seen clapping. Immediately, Naruto directed his accusatory finger at Kotetsu.

"YOU! You're the one causing all this retardedness! Cut it out. My head is beginning to hurt." said Naruto.

"Very nice." said Kotetsu, ignoring Naruto's protests. "Very cute. So you saw through our little illusion. That is completely irrelevant to the exams. So, if you kindly get out of the way, your black-haired friend shall die."

Kotetsu produced a Kunai and charged at Sasuke. Naruto intervened, intercepting Kotetsu before even getting a few feet in progress towards Sasuke. Naruto then disarmed Kotetsu, pulled out his .45, and placed the muzzle to Kotetsu's temple while he held his knife to Kotetsu's throat. Naruto then spoke to Kotetsu in a most annoyed tone.

"Did I not tell you to stop being retarded? What you just tried to do was not helping your situation in any manner."

Naruto then leaned close to Kotetsu's ear and whispered.

"Kotetsu-san, for the record, you and Izumo-san suck at your Henge jutsus."

"We suck?" said Kotetsu in disbelief. "But that was our best!"

"Your best? All you did was turn yourselves into chibis! I could spot you two from a mile away! You might as well have worn 'Don't-shoot-me Orange' Jackets with your names, ranks, and serial numbers printed on them!"

"So that means we..." began Kotetsu.

"Yes." said Naruto in a grave tone. "You both _fail at life._"

Naruto released the shocked Kotetsu, who in turn passed the message on to Izumo, still blocking the door. Izumo instantly became depressed and left the hallway with Kotetsu. Both walked away in a dejected slouch.

"Glad that's over." said Naruto. "Now we can go forward without any interruptions."

As Team 7 began to walk away, they found themselves stopped when Mitsuko's attention was diverted Rock Lee trying to ask her out.

" Please go out with me sometime, miss!" said the overzealous Genin. "I promise to protect you for life!"

"And you are?" asked Mitsuko, startled by Lee's sudden actions.

"I am Rock Lee, Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!"

"I'm Nakagawa Mitsuko, and sorry, I'm already taken."

"Are you? Who is this scoundrel that claims you for his own? I shall defeat him!"

"That's him." said Mitsuko, smirking as she pointed at Sasuke. Lee looked at the smirk on Mitsuko's face and then at Sasuke. He hung his head in resignation.

"I see..."

Meanwhile, Sasuke turned his head, having heard the conversation faintly. He was about to ask Mitsuko a question when Neji caught his eye. Sasuke's interest was piqued. Would last year's Rookie be able to keep up with him? He would soon find out as he charged at Neji. Naruto reacted quickly and held him back. Neji did not miss this though, and took the oppurtunity to goad Sasuke.

"Don't bother, Uchiha." said Neji. "It's for your own safety that Uzumaki is holding you back. If he didn't, you would be out of the exams even before you set foot in the classroom.

"Why you--" began Sasuke.

"Hey Naruto, Keep your teammate in line. That Uchiha's just going to embarass himself." interrupted Neji smugly.

"What's it to you if he gets angry?" said Naruto, restraining Sasuke from pouncing on the Hyuuga branch member.

"Let him loose, and rest assured, you won't be seeing that weakling I have to consider a cousin. Hiashi-sama may have bought into your BS, but I'm smarter than that." retorted Neji, knowing he hit a nerve. Naruto growled; The so-called Hyuuga genius prodigy had just done something very stupid by making the arguement personal to Naruto. Suddenly, the genin smirked and got ready to walk away.

"Please, Hinata could kick your ass now that she's more confident. That's all she needed to unlock her potential, and now, you can't do anything about it. Maybe if I hand her a grenade, she can blow out that stick wedged so far up your ass."

Neji grit his teeth in anger as Team 7 walked away. Somehow, he would make Naruto pay for those words. Meanwhile, Sasuke spoke with Mitsuko.

"So, when you said you were taken by me, does that mean we're a couple now?"

"If you want it to mean that, then sure." said Mitsuko boldly before blushing. Sasuke allowed himself a small smile before grasping Mitsuko's hand, causing her to squeak slightly. A small line of red tinted both their faces as they followed Naruto.

_'I guess that means yes, then.'_

Team 7 walked into the exam room and marveled at the amount of people taking the exam. Not one to be intimidated, Naruto shouted a confident vow of victory at those staring his team down.

"You all might as well quit! Konoha's Rookie 9 will blow through and rock you all like a hurricane! You can count on that!"

Behind Naruto, most of the boys from the rookie 9 pumped their fists in the air confidently while the Kunoichi aside from Mitsuko shook their heads. Hinata came up to Naruto and glomped him affectionately, helping to ease the tension in the room somewhat as the older participants turned around to ignore the loud blonde. As the commotion settled down, a grey-haired Genin with round glasses came up to the Rookie 9.

"You might not want to make so much noise." said the Genin. "The tension in here is still thick enough to cut with a Katana."

Within, the Kyuubi stirred.

_**"Naruto, watch yourself. There's something about this guy...but I don't know what. Don't let your guard down." **_said Kyuubi.

_"Understood."_ replied Naruto wordlessly. Getting up, he greeted the Genin, who introduced himself.

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto." said the genin. "I'm a veteran of the Chunin exams, seeing as I have had to try this exam out for my seventh time now. Don't expect it to get any easier."

"I see." replied Naruto. "So, anything good come out of your losses?"

"Just these." said Kabuto, pulling out a stack of seemingly-blank cards. Channeling some Chakra into it, it revealed an information card on Kabuto himself. "These are nin-info cards, which are a compact way to carry any information on ninja with records. Looking for anyone in particular?"

"Let's try my info, for starters." said Naruto.

"Okay, Uzumaki Naruto... Hmm, it says here that you temporarily left Konoha for 6 years to train abroad, and after three years in a special program, you graduated from John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School at the top of your class, then spent three more years in a Private Military Company, eventually becoming Blackwater Security USA's Youngest Top Contractor before returning Konoha. Mission wise, you have done countless excursions into the middle east in areas such as Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. More locally, you completed over 70 D-rank missions and one A-Rank mission, in which you lost a team member. Am I right?"

"Y-yes." said Naruto, remembering Sakura's death, and shaking in slight anger. "_Shit! This guy knows too much! I have to destroy those damn cards before they fall into the wrong hands!"_

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when Kiba decided to pick on Sasuke.

"Hey Uchiha, you've got some nerve coming in with a new Kunoichi this soon! Are you going to have her take bullets for you like you did with Sakura?"

In a flash, Naruto had Kiba pinned to the wall with his knife, the dog-nin hanging by the hood of his coat. Kiba saw the evident guilt and sorrow in Naruto's eyes as the Team 7 member spoke.

"Don't you dare try to blame Sasuke, Kiba." said Naruto, voice shaking. "If you're gonna blame anyone, blame me. I had a dented round and used up ammo too fast, keeping me from stopping Sakura's killer before he fired. It's not Sasuke's fault, damn it."

Calming down, Naruto turned to Kabuto and asked to see the deck of cards. As Naruto shuffled through each of them, he deftly used an erasing jutsu to permanently blank the cards with information on any Konoha ninja. That way, Kabuto couldn't get any info from them, even if he tried to re-record any information. Handing the cards back to Kabuto, he asked about other countries in the Exams.

"So, who else is participating in this brawlfest?" Naruto asked informally.

"Well," began Kabuto. "Most of the major countries have sent their shinobi here. Water Country, for example, has sent ninja from Kirigakure, and Wind country, ninja from Sunagakure. Also, Weaker villages looking to make a name for themselves, such as Otogakure, have sent their ninja here."

It was at this point the Sound Village shinobi made themselves known. one of them in particular, a boy with his face partially covered in bandages leapt at Kabuto, raising his sleeve to reveal an odd cannon-like contraption on his arm. Naruto stood still, he wanted to see what Kabuto would do. The Sound ninja descended on the veteran Genin, who seemed rooted in fear to the spot. Just as it seemed the boy's uppercut connected with Kabuto's face, the latter leaned back in time to avoid it.

Just then, a puff of smoke appeared at the front of the room, a booming voice telling the two, "Break it up, or I break your skulls."

Out of the smoke came Toboketsu Jounin Morino Ibiki, a tough-as-nails Interrogator who could easily fit in as a mafia enforcer.

"No fighting without my say-so, punks, otherwise, you and your team are disqualified." said the Jounin as everyone made their way to a desk. Ibiki introduced himself and explained the test, which had 9 questions on paper and a tenth verbal one that would not be revealed until later. Another stipulation to the test is that anyone _caught_ cheating would get them and their team ejected from the exams. So, Naruto deftly pulled out his fiber optic camera and carefully snaked it around his table to find some answers. It was a tedious process, and he had, at one point embarassingly made the mistake of unintentionally getting an upskirt view of Temari. Needless to say, Naruto quickly had to make the camera retreat as his face flushed red. Finally seeing a person with all the answers, he began copying them down, carefully checking to make sure that he himself had not been spotted. A close call came by when a Kunai streaked past his head and lodged itself right next to an examinee's hand. That team was summarily disqualified. Luckily, Naruto quickly finished all his questions and flipped the paper over, a habit he carried from schooling in America. He allowed himself to rest until Ibiki announced it was time for the tenth question, and it was a do-or-die situation. Upon hearing the condition that they would never progress if they answered the question incorrectly, 3 teams left the room, and some of the Rookie 9 were beginning to doubt themselves and were making to raise their hands. However, Naruto would have none of that. Slamming his fist down on his desk, Naruto boldly stated his intention to lead Konoha to the top.

"Konoha as I know it is no weakling village. As far as I'm concerned, Each generation only grows stronger, and that is why I'm proud to say, always, **Konoha Leads The Way!**" declared Naruto. His words instilled confidence in those who doubted themselves, and Ibiki had to smile at the blonde's behavior. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto had a shot at becoming Hokage one day. With that, Ibiki announced that they had passed the test, and that the tenth question was really a ploy to test their courage. For the Rookie 9, that was no problem. If they were lacking courage, Naruto had plenty to spare. However, they wouldn't get a chance to rest as a brown and purple blur crashed through the window. At this, Ibiki sighed and pinched his nose bridge. Said blur came to a stop and stood up, revealing itself to be Hyperactive Toboketsu Jounin Mitarashi Anko.

"Anko, can't you use the door like a normal person?" asked Ibiki, still embarassed and frustrated.

"Using the door without damaging it is no way to make an entrance, Ibiki." replied Anko quickly. Taking a head count, she turned to Ibiki with an annoyed expression.

"There's close two dozen teams left! You're getting sloppy, Ibiki."

"It's not necessarily that. Maybe we have a large crop of stealthy little punks."

"Whatever, I'll reduce this number to less than half in the second exam. All right, maggots! Fall in and follow me!"

As everyone got up, Naruto cocked his M4 and slung it over his back, then checked his .45 to make sure that it was working and ready to fire. There would be no mistakes this time, if he could help it. His NVA pack was filled with provisions and supply scrolls to last them a couple of days. In case he lost them, he was prepared to hunt for food as needed. He just hoped he wouldn't lose his guns. That would make things much more difficult.

The examinees marched the back roads of Konoha until they arrived at the chain-link fenced training ground 44. Anko reappeared in front of all of them and announced the beginning of the second exam.

"All right, you snot-nosed brats! I'm Mitarashi Anko, and I will be your examiner for the second test of the Chunin exams. This test is a survival exam in the infamous Forest of Death."

Naruto scoffed at this. "Puh-leeze. I can't consider this a Forest of Death. There's no landmines, enemy artillery fire, punji sticks, hell, not even enemy machine gun nests! This is gonna be too easy!"

At those words, Anko flung a Kunai at Naruto, who deflected it with his large serrated knife, which, guided by his arm, parried a second Kunai from Anko when she suddenly appeared behind him. After a second or two of pushing their knives back and forth, the two withdrew their knives and sheathed them as they complimented each other.

"Not bad, Ms. Drill Sergeant." said Naruto.

"Same to you, Soldier boy." replied Anko. The two bowed to each other in respect, when suddenly, something tapped Anko on the shoulder with a voice to accompany it.

"Thcooth eh a'h, oo thopth thith. (Excuse me Ma'am, you dropped this.)"

Anko turned around. Said object that tapped her was an extremely long tongue holding the Kunai Naruto had deflected. The tongue was hanging out the mouth of a Genin from the Hidden Grass Village. The very sight disturbed the Toboketsu Jounin, causing her to shudder inwardly, so as not to be completely rude.

"Uh, Thanks, I guess." said Anko, taking the Kunai and wiping it dry. Going back to the podium, she handed out waivers to the Genin in the crowd, explaining that Konoha would not be responsible for their deaths in the exam, and that way, a war would not be a possibility. All the Genin signed their forms, knowing they could not continue if the forms were left unsigned. Upon turning in their forms, Team 7 recieved an earth scroll, and thus, as soon as they went in, were to retrieve a heaven scroll from a rival team and get to the central tower within 5 days. Even as Naruto was merely setting up his team with communications equipment like burst transmission radios and throat mics, calculations flew through his head a mile a minute. Gone was the dumb and ignorant child that left Konoha 6 years ago. In his place was a wise and strong tactician, continually coming up with contingencies for many situations. Some might say that he could rival Shikamaru as a genius in tactics, but he felt that was too much. He still doubted he could outsmart Shikamaru. All he really did to improve himself was read Sun Tzu's Art of War. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was a complete natural. As soon as Anko gave the signal, the gates opened up, and all teams rushed inside. Naruto took point for team 7, as he had the most offensive firepower. Sasuke and Mitsuko had decided to use their ninja weaponry. As they moved deeper into the forest, Naruto flipped the safety on his M4A1 off.

An hour later, the three continued making their way through the forest in hopes of finding an enemy team to take a heaven scroll from. Naruto then had to relieve himself, and told Sasuke and Mitsuko to go on ahead. As they split, Naruto went into some deep vegetation to relieve himself. When he was finished, he felt a large amount of killer intent behind him, and brought his M4 to bear. It was immediately knocked out of his hands and into a deep ravine Naruto had not seen before. Naruto dodged his attacker's swipes and drew his .45, only to have that join his M4A1 in the ravine. The attacker, who Naruto identified as a Hidden Rock Village ninja, pinned Naruto to the ground and attempted to finish Naruto off with a kunai. Only Naruto's quick reflexes allowed the blonde to parry as he intentionally locked blades with the rock ninja with his Survival knife. Noting that the rock nin was not doing anything to keep his other hand from being used, Naruto hooked the rock nin in the face, and quickly, Naruto aimed for the carotid arteries on either side of his attacker's neck and slashed them open. The shocked and surprised rock nin clutched his hand to his throat as Naruto flipped him over onto his back, then his belly once again. Using his attacker's inattentiveness, however temporary, Naruto plunged his survival knife into the rock nin's brain stem. The rock nin twitched in his hold, then remained still. Naruto pulled out the blade quickly, avoiding any sickening sounds in the process. Wiping the blade clean, he sheathed it and crouched low. Immediately, he began assessing his situation.

'All right,' thought Naruto. 'I'm isolated from my team, both my weapons are inaccessible and all I have are spare mags and my knife, I have no grenades, and no material to build an IED. Peachy. Looks like I'll just have to stay in the shadows and make sure I'm not compromised.'

Naruto then looked towards the body. 'If I have to kill an enemy, it's gonna be pretty messy. I'll also have to hide the body.'

Naruto went over to the rock nin's corpse and pocketed the heaven scroll he found on the body. As Naruto hefted the body and prepared to toss it into the ravine, he chuckled to himself.

"How strange. I thought I would have to attack many teams before finding a heaven scroll. And now, it just so happens I kill someone with a heaven scroll on their person. Either I'm really lucky, or this guy was just stupid. Probably the latter." said Naruto to himself as he tossed the body into the ravine. Turning around, he crouched down and began moving towards his teammates, wherever they were. before leaving, he remembered what he had contemplated at one point, and took the time to hack off some branches and began carve them into Eskrima sticks. _Now_ he was relatively ready, though he still needed to fire treat the sticks... Naruto stalked off into the woods, using the shadows as much as he could.

It was going to be a very long 5 days.

- - - - -- - - - - -

To be continued

See that button in the corner? If you enjoyed this chapter, press it and type out a review. (AGAIN!)


	8. The Forest of Death

Konoha Marksman Chapter 8: The Forest of Death Hides Numerous Hazards

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Naruto silently sprinted through the Forest of Death as he attempted to regain contact with the rest of his team through their radio network. After a a few seconds of repeatedly sending the muster signal over the network, Sasuke answered the now-practically unarmed genin.

"Sasuke! It's good to hear your voice!" said Naruto.

"Naruto, you all right?" asked Sasuke, concern evident in his voice.

"I got involved in a struggle with an Iwa-nin and lost my guns, but I should be fine, otherwise." responded Naruto, disappointment with himself leaking through his voice.

"Be careful, Naruto." warned Sasuke. "We just dealt with a rain ninja trying to pose as you. Luckily, there were quite a few discrepancies allowing us to tell you apart from him. However, someone might try the same with you. Come on back."

"Understood, Sasuke. I have dispatched the Iwa-nin, and took his Heaven scroll. And before you ask, I hid the body in a rather inaccessible place." replied Naruto. On the other end, Sasuke gulped. His teammate was an extremely dangerous person, apparently even more so when put in a life-threatening situation. He did not want to get on his bad side.

"Good job Naruto." said Sasuke on the other end. "Now rendezvous with us at--"

Suddenly, the tranmission cut out into static, and Naruto began to panic. Immediately, he increased his pace, sprinting to the location of Sasuke's last radio transmission. The trees around him blurred as he picked up velocity, pumping Chakra to his legs to boost his speed.  
Naruto increased his sprinting pace, trying to make up for lost time. However, the tunnel vision that developed as a result of his determination to get to Sasuke made him vulnerable without his knowledge, and suddenly, he felt himself get sideswiped by something large, and then, darkness.

* * *

"Well, this is certainly a new way of trying to kill me." said Naruto to himself as he felt all sorts of squishiness and liquid around him. It was also warm, and he could detect the scent of hydrochloric acid and blood around him. From this, he deduced that he had been swallowed by something. 

"Most troublesome, this predicament. But it is nothing my blade and I cannot overcome."

Naruto placed his fingers in the seal required for Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and thusly, a small squad of clones appeared, though he could not see them visually. So, Naruto relied on touch and feel alone.

"All right, everyone. Pick a warm, squishy, and wet spot of your choice and make a huge gash in it."

Naruto and his clones pulled out their knives and simultaneously made huge x-patterned cuts. Daylight suddenly shone through the cuts, and both the mercenary prodigy and his clone subordinates forced the cuts open and crawled out. Taking a look at their surroundings, Naruto found that he had been swallowed by an extremely large snake. And then, peering down at his clothes, realized that he was now covered in snake guts.

"Lovely. All over my new MULTICAM fatigues, too." commented Naruto in a most annoyed tone. Naruto then did something very unorthodox, and were there a bystander in the vicinity, humorous. The former mercenary rolled around in the grass and dirt to temporarily clean himself off. When he was sufficiently dusty, dirty, but most importantly, dry, he got back up and dispelled his clones. Then, as if he had not been interrupted, he continued his sprint to save his team.

* * *

After several minutes of sprinting, Naruto found Sasuke and Mitsuko crouched behind a large tree trunk. Suspecting that they were under attack somewhere, Naruto got down beside them by crawling to the spot, moving inches at a time to blend in with the ground. _The MULTICAM pattern was already paying for itself_, Naruto thought, _it's like I'm not even here_. In fact, Sasuke and Mitsuko nearly knifed Naruto when he spoke up from the grass beside them. The sudden sound of speech coming from behind them startled them, and Sasuke whirled around, ready to slice the source of the noise into pieces. Luckily, Naruto was just out of range when he got into a crouching position, and Sasuke took a moment before he recognized Naruto through the Tiger Stripe Camouflage face paint. 

"Christ, Naruto! Are you trying to give us a heart attack?!" hissed Sasuke.

"Easy, Sasuke." said Naruto. "I sprinted my ass off to find you ever since your radio went out on you. What's going on?"

"Some freak from Grass Village, can't tell if it's a guy or girl, attacked us shortly after we dispatched your impostor. He/she has got us on the ropes and we're toast if we end up facing him or her. How about you? What's your story?"

"Some Iwa-nin attacked me and disarmed me. Long story short, I reversed his hold on me, knifed him in the head, took the scroll he had on him, got swallowed by a snake, freed myself, and found you guys."

"Good recap, Naruto. But it wasn't really 'long story short'. And since we've lost our ace in the hole, namely firepower, there's only one thing we can do to survive."

Sasuke pulled out the Earth Scroll he held in his equipment pouch and held it within his hand. Naruto and Mitsuko watched Sasuke unfasten his equipment pouch from his belt loop and his Kunai holster from his thigh and slowly emerge from behind the log, both his hands in the air.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?!" whispered Naruto.

"Saving our asses."

Sasuke walked out to the center of the clearing and placed the earth scroll on the ground. He backed away and spoke to the shadows.

"Look, we don't have to fight." said Sasuke, hoping their attacker would hear. "If you want this scroll that badly, then take it. We're not looking to get hurt!"

"Heh heh heh, I see." said the Grass ninja, coming out of the shadows. "It is wise for prey to give a sacrifice to their predators if they wish to live another day."

As the Grass ninja reached for the scroll, Naruto darted out from behind the log at breakneck speed and snatched it away, leaping into deep tree cover. Sasuke looked in the direction Naruto took off through in horror. How were they going to get out of this alive now?

"Naruto! What's the meaning of this? Are you trying to get us all killed?" shouted Sasuke into the woods.

"Open your damn eyes, Sasuke." echoed Naruto's voice off the trees. "The Grass ninja is after you, not the scroll! In fact, he's not a Grass ninja at all! No one in that village uses snakes in their Jutsu! They're all Mokuton Jutsu users!" added Naruto, remembering what he'd read in a history book at the academy.

The realization of the Grass ninja's true identity hit Sasuke full force. "No way... What the hell is the Snake sannin doing in the chunin exams?"

The Grass ninja laughed as he peeled the skin of his face off, revealing a far paler complexion underneath.

"How perceptive of you, Sasuke-kun. Of course, this is to be expected of the Uchiha Clan's remaining avenger. For that I should leave you with a gift."

"You're not leaving with anything, including your life, terrorist! You killed my father, Attacked my village, and killed my friend's family! I'm not going to let that slide!" yelled Naruto as he burst out from cover, knife in hand. Orochimaru wasn't fazed as he turned around to meet Naruto's strike. Naruto flickered out of view, but Orochimaru whipped around and palmed Naruto in the stomach just as the blonde was about to make the killing cut. A five-point seal appeared on his stomach under his body armor and fatigues. The force of the open palm sent Naruto flying into a tree, which promptly knocked him unconscious. Mitsuko took action by tossing Sasuke his kunai holster. Sasuke quickly grabbed a kunai and prepared to face Orochimaru, but it was too late. Mitsuko could only watch in horror as Sasuke screamed in pain from being bitten in the neck by Orochimaru. It was all over in a few seconds, and Sasuke dropped to the ground as he passed out from the pain. A strange mark consisting of three tomoe formed on the back of Sasuke's neck as Orochimaru leapt into the trees. He gave Mitsuko one last parting message.

"Little girl, listen to me. In time, Sasuke-kun will come to seek me for power. Until then, try to keep him alive."

And with an evil chuckle, Orochimaru disappeared into the forest, leaving Mitsuko practically all alone.

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest, Naruto was getting up from the powerful hit he took when Orochimaru smacked a five-point seal onto his stomach. Adrenaline still running through him, he sprinted back to his team's last location. As he sprinted, he slowed down when he caught sight of a body, either unconscious or dead lying in his path. He handled the body carefully as he felt for a pulse. Putting two fingers on the carotid artery, he felt a normal pulse going. He turned the body over and saw a familiar face. Then again, had he seen the purple hair, fishnet outerwear over a body glove, and most obvious of all, the trenchcoat, he would've known already who it was. 

"Anko-san!" exclaimed Naruto. The Toboketsu Jounin slowly stirred, only to be fully awakened by pain that coursed throughout her entire body as she tried to move. Naruto instructed her to stay still and relax any muscles whatsoever so that he could get some information from her and make something of it. "Anko-san, what happened here?" asked Naruto in worry.  
"A big problem occured, kid." said Anko in reply, wincing from twinges of pain. "Orochimaru has infiltrated the Chunin exams, and while I fought him earlier, I found out he was going after Uchiha Sasuke to mark him with what's called a Curse Seal. I can't explain right now, because all that matters is that you have to protect your team, Naruto. Get Sasuke to safety!"  
Now, Naruto was no idiot, and he knew to get to his team as quickly as possible. Still, he wasn't going to leave a suffering person, much less a female, behind without assurance that help would be on the way or at least without relief from said suffering. He ripped open the velcro on his medical kit and pulled out two of an item that looked like a cross between a syringe and a superglue tube. Ripping one open, he quickly jabbed it into Anko's arm where he knew he would find a vein, squeezed the tube, and pulled it out, covering the puncture with a bandage and gauze.  
"What was that for?" asked Anko in what was supposed to be a snarl, but instead coming out a whine, her voice beginning to lose its edge.  
"Intravenous Painkiller." replied Naruto. " A syrette full of Morphine, to be exact. I don't like seeing people suffer, so I injected you with that to get rid of whatever's bothering you. Just so you know, this is powerful stuff, so don't be surprised if you start feeling mellow. I'm calling in some medics to get you out of here; as soon as you're feeling better, tell them everything you told me."  
Anko merely nodded, the medicine was taking effect. Naruto changed his frequencies and mustered help. Before he could be reprimanded for using a frequency he was not authorized to access, he had managed to explain his situation, what he had done, and where the medics could find Anko. Finally, Naruto tucked the second, unopened Syrette into Anko's open palm. He affixed the tube of the first one to her trenchcoat collar to let the medics know just how much she was given. Naruto packed up his items and was about to leave when Anko spoke once more.  
"Hey, Naruto."  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks." said Anko, nodding off.  
"No problem." replied Naruto, turning to sprint to his team's rescue. For a good 15 minutes, he pushed himself to make it back to his team, lactic acid building up in his leg muscles. However, it was all for nothing when he caught sight of the bite marks on Sasuke's neck. Out of energy, Naruto collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Before he passed out, one thought ran through his mind.

_'Damn.'_

* * *

Now came the task of getting her unconscious teammates to safety. One by one, she carried them to a hollow den-like area at the base of a large tree and prepared to settle there for the night, with her keeping watch over the two of them. After half an hour of setting a handful of improvised traps with her wires, she took note of Naruto's medical kit and detached it from his duty belt. As she opened it, she found a treasure trove of battlefield medical supplies that could last a week or two if the supplies were properly stretched out. She found everything, from clotting spray to self-adhesive gauze, even an IV bag. As she continued to look through the bag, Naruto began to stir and clenched his knife, only to drop it as a sudden wave of pain coursed through his body. Mitsuko put the pack down and hurried over to get him to lie down, or at least not get on his feet yet. 

"Painkiller..." uttered Naruto weakly.

"What?" asked Mitsuko, not hearing him clearly.

"Get me some painkiller."

Mitsuko reached into the pack and pulled out the Morphine syrettes. Naruto shook his head.

"Those things will put me to sleep. I want to be combat-capable just in case. Look for a bottle I marked 'Light-Fighter Candy'."

Mitsuko did so, and she saw multiple, different-sized bottles of pills with red caps marked 'light-fighter candy'. Looking at the labels, she saw that the contents were named by the manufacturer as 'Tylenol'. Shrugging, she took the smallest bottle and went over to Naruto. Gratefully accepting it, he opened the bottle and took four pills from it and guzzled them down with water. His body, knowing it had received something that would give him relief, started sending signals to Naruto's brain that it was ready to go again - a psychosomatic reaction, if you will.

* * *

_Meanwhile, deep within Naruto's body..._

_Kyuubi, who for the most part had taken everything in stride (he'd been in many situations like this before, after all), was rather agitated at the recent turn of events. "What? What the hell is going on here? Hey! Naruto!...HEY! HEY BLONDIE! Listen up!...that's odd, kid can't hear me." He tried to create a more tangible means of communication by visualizing calling up Naruto. Oddly enough, all he got was a prerecorded message (number 42, in fact) that seemed to indicate that the number he had dialed was out of service.  
_

_"What the shit?" said Kyuubi, who was truly surprised and stumped by this recent turn of events. "I hadn't expected THAT, for sure. Okay. For some reason I've been cut off from my host. Think, Kyuubi. Think like the boy. What would he do?" Kyuubi then visualized a telegraph machine in front of him as well as a morse code manual. Then, he proceeded to tediously tap out a simple message as he used the manual for reference. When he finished, he waited. And waited some more. Figuring he was in for a long wait, he took out a Rubik's Cube and attempted to solve it._

_"It's been 20 years, and I still haven't solved a side."_

* * *

"I'll take first watch, Mitsuko. You take a rest, and I'll wake you up later. " 

"But Naruto-kun, You're still hurt! I have to help you!"

"No, Mitsuko-chan. You've had enough stress to deal with for one day. Get some rest."

Mitsuko briefed Naruto on where the traps lay, then reluctantly sat down next to Sasuke's unconscious form. She looked at it forlornly for a few seconds before remembering to tie her hair as a precaution in this combat situation and then letting sleep take her. Naruto, however, was acting differently than normal. He found himself flinching at every noise not coming from inside the hollowed tree. He was just beginning to calm down when he saw something small, furry, and brown coming towards him. He responded by throwing a hail of kunai at the incoming object, and it immediately changed course as Kunai landed behind it one after another. As it disappeared into the bushes, Naruto let out a sigh. Why was he suddenly so damn jumpy? Even when bullets whizzed past his head, he knew how to keep his cool. Naruto, despite his situation, smirked. The last time he had been this scared was when he was back in boot camp, particularly during a live-fire exercise.

* * *

_"Oh god, I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Oh god oh god oh god oh god."_

_Naruto cowered as he held his Kevlar helmet to his head tightly. He feared for his life as he listened to the M60 machine gun operated by one of the basic training drill instructors spray 7.62mm rounds mere centimeters above his head, which was already hindered by barbed wire. Despite shouts and angry yells from his squad mates to move, Naruto stayed in place, afraid to move any further, lest he get shot in the head. Finally, someone had cried "Cease Fire!" and the shooting stopped. Only then did Naruto move, grateful for a lull in the firing as he made his way into a trench. Unfortunately, no one else followed him, and this made Naruto come to the realization that he was about to get his ass kicked. Sure enough, a drill instructor came down into the trench, stood the blonde up by lifting him by his uniform collar, and then punching him hard in the gut. As Naruto doubled over in pain and tried to regain the wind knocked out of him, the drill instructor gave him no time to recover as the size 12 boot stepped on Naruto's hand and began to put pressure on it. Naruto reacted to the pain, but despite his struggling, he could not pull it loose._

_"UZUMAKI! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!" shouted the Drill Instructor. "THIS IS THE JOHN F. KENNEDY SPECIAL WARFARE CENTER AND SCHOOL! IN HERE, YOU LEARN TO BE AGGRESSIVE, EVEN MORE SO WHEN UNDER ENEMY FIRE BECAUSE YOU WANT THE GODDAMN MACHINE GUNNER TRYING BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF TO DIE! WHAT I SAW OUT THERE WAS NOT AGGRESSION! THAT WAS COWARDICE! WHY ARE YOU SQUAD LEADER IF YOU CANNOT SET AN EXAMPLE FOR YOUR MEN?! NO ONE WANTS A SQUAD LEADER THAT IS TOO FUCKING SCARED TO DIE FOR HIS COUNTRY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"_

_  
As the DI crouched down to get Naruto to look him in the eye, The boot already planted on the young blonde's hand increased in weight. Naruto's hand could no longer take it, and two of his fingers broke with a sickening "pop". Naruto restrained himself from crying out in pain, but tears were welling up in his eyes. The DI looked him in the eye and repeated his question._

_"I said, Do you understand me?"_

_"S-sir, yes sir."_

_"I can't hear you, boy."_

_"S-SIR, YES SIR!"_

_"Good. Now get to sick bay and get your fingers fixed up. We're running the course again when you come out."_

_Kyuubi had already started the healing process, and by the time he was back at the live-fire course, he didn't really need the splints on his fingers. But splints or not, he went through the live-fire course once again. He kept crawling this time, and braved the storm of lead flying over his head as he used his M16A2 rifle to prop up the barbed wire as his squad mates passed through. Despite completing the objective, there would be no celebrating for Naruto, as he was singled out by another drill instructor to sit in 'The Invisible Chair', which was really nothing more than a disciplinary procedure. Naruto spent an hour in the evening before dinner trying to keep the seat of his pants off the floor as he braced himself against the wall, lest he slide down the wall and get a punch in the gut. Naruto walked to the mess hall limping when he was finished, and due to exhaustion, ended up faceplanting into his mashed potatoes and pork chops._

* * *

_  
_

Naruto was jolted out of his reverie when he sensed 3 more people enter the clearing. Immediately, he woke Mitsuko with a few taps on the shoulder.

"Something up?" asked Mitsuko.

"Yeah." replied Naruto.

"What exactly?"

"3 people have entered the area, and I think they would have identified themselves by now if they were friendly."

"What if they attack? What should I do?"

"Pass me my Tylenol."

"Um, no? A huge amount of that stuff at any given time can't possibly be-"

Naruto cut her off before she could finish. "Mitsuko, trust me. Bottle. Please. Now."

Mitsuko reluctantly passed the mercenary prodigy his bottle of painkiller. After downing the remaining contents of the bottle, Naruto shook his head as the painkillers increased the amount of relief time he would get before he began to hurt and ache again. Confidence restored, he unsheathed his knife and turned to Mitsuko again.

"You have a smoke bomb and explosive tags?"

"Sure. Why do you need them?"

"They have the jump on us, and there's only two of us that are capable of fighting. I'm setting up a smokescreen to buy us some time and regain the initiative," said Naruto. Convinced by Naruto's explanation, she handed the requested components to him.

No sooner had Naruto finished speaking when the traps Mitsuko set went off one by one, the intruding ninja bypassing them with a mixture of brute force and ease . Naruto combined the two ninja tools and clenched the end product in his left hand. He waited until the enemy team got closer before priming the makeshift smoke grenade by sending a flash of Chakra into the explosive note. He counted to three, then lobbed it out of the opening in the tree. As the concussive blast of the smoke bomb's detonation knocked the enemy team flat, Naruto leapt out of the tree hollow and attempted to slash open one of the enemy's throats while Mitsuko covered him, ready to come to his defense. As Naruto made the cut, he thought the knife felt strange as he slashed open what was supposed to be an enemy's neck. As the smoke dissapated, Naruto found that his target had used Kawarimi no Jutsu, leaving Naruto on top of a log that now had a huge gash in it thanks to his knife. Looking up, he saw his target, a heavily bandaged genin, aiming an arm-mounted Sound Village Melody Arm at him. Naruto moved out of the way while Mitsuko took action, ensnaring The Sound Team's kunoichi painfully by her hair. Mitsuko, with all her might, then flung the kunoichi toward Naruto's intended target. In mid-flight, the enemy kunoichi quickly cut herself loose, shortening her hair even further. It was all for naught, as she found herself caught in the blast of the Melody Arm. She crumpled to the ground, disoriented and nauseous. Still, the attack scored a glancing blow on Naruto, who stumbled as he temporarily lost his sense of balance. He leaned against a tree, shaking his head clear of any disorientation and even the little hint of nausea he felt. He looked at the remaining number of enemies. The kunoichi was down for the count, the bandaged genin was regaining his breath from the attack he used...where was the third member of the team? Naruto placed this fact in the back of his head as he turned his attention to the bandaged Otogakure genin who tried to attack him.

"So, how long have you been observing us?" asked Naruto.

"Long enough to know that you can't hit shit with a kunai, considering how many you threw at that squirrel." replied the bandaged genin.

"True. I am willing to admit that I'm better with guns than knife throwing because I think it's a waste of time. However, I have ways of making up for that."

Naruto twisted his wrist slightly and quickly, in turn twisting a small section of his knife's grip by 90 degrees. With a muffled pop, The blade of his knife was shot out of the grip by a CO2 cartridge. A thin wire followed the knife blade as it flew towards Naruto's attacker, who moved to protect his face using his melody arm. However, it wasn't his face Naruto was aiming for. The blade whizzed under the Melody arm and cut into the Oto genin's neck, making a shallow cut between his jugular vein and trachea. Disgustingly, when the wire connected to the blade began to rewind back into the knife handle, the knife blade got stuck in the exit wound and Naruto had to yank it loose. The action completely tore open a section of the enemy genin's neck, and while the blade flew back into the grip of Naruto's knife, the enemy genin collapsed to the ground, blood beginning to spray in macabre fashion while he desperately tried to stop his bleeding and breathing problems by plugging up the holes with his fingers. Still, he violently twitched on the ground, and Mitsuko watched the writhing genin in horror while Naruto coolly wiped the blood off his blade. Suddenly, a shout came from the trees.

"ZANKUUHA!"

Naruto shoved Mitsuko out of the way and then braced himself as a blast of wind hit him full force. As the enemy genin blasting him with air landed on the ground, Naruto dashed towards the new attacker. He flung his survival knife at the wind user and quickly did a one-handed seal. Naruto flickered out of view with a sudden flash of lightning. Naruto reappeared in midair just as the knife reached the wind user's proximity, and in one slick move, altered the course of the flying knife. Naruto tapped the butt end of the knife and it began to orbit halfway around the back of its target's neck before Naruto caught it with his right hand and withdew a kunai from his enemy's holster with his left. Naruto then held his target hostage and kicked out the remaining wind user's legs out from under him. Naruto pulled him back up, the kunai in his left hand ready to plunged into the wind user's chest, and the survival knife ready to slash open a major artery. Now that he had the genin good and scared, Naruto shoved his hostage onto his stomach and restrained him with Mitsuko's help. Then, Naruto began to interrogate the wind user while Mitsuko tied the bleeding genin to a tree, removed his kunai, blocked the holes in his melody arm, and out of a strange moment of compassion, stuck a wad of gauze between her captive's fingers and wound. Then, she walked back to Naruto, who looked at her questioningly.

"What was that all about?" asked Naruto.

"I don't know." replied Mitsuko. "I guess some part of me doesn't want to see anyone die that way. Maybe it's because I'm trying to be civil to another human being, though he may be my enemy. Guess I'm just confused right now."

'_Don't I know what that's like.' _thought Naruto. Then, turning back to his captive, Naruto began the interrogation.

"First, identify yourself and your teammates."

"Fair enough. I'm Abumi Zaku. The guy you knifed in the neck is Kinuta Dosu, and the bitch that's out cold is Tsuchi Kin."

"Good start. Now why are you all here? Tell me, Zaku-san, are you sure you're just here for the scroll? Or is it something else?"

"Something else. We're here to kill Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto then heard Sasuke stirring behind him. "Well speak of the devil. Look who's finally awake."

Sasuke stepped out of the hollowed tree. Black marks covered half his body, and his Sharingan was activated. Not sure what to make of it, Naruto approached Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke. You all right?"

"Just fine, Naruto. You might even say 'dandy.' Now ...who said that they were here to kill me?"

"He did." said Naruto, pointing to Zaku.

"Hmm. Are you or Mitsuko hurt?"

"Aside from me shoving Mitsuko away from this dipshit's attack, we're fine. All I needed was some pain reliever."

"Tried to attack Mitsuko-chan, did he? Naruto. Untie him and then get Mitsuko somewhere safe."

"Are you nuts? I just started interrogating him!"

"You just finished. Untie him now, Naruto."

"You untie him if you want it so bad. I'm not going to let myself get blasted by him."

"Hand me a kunai, then."

Naruto placed a kunai in Sasuke's hand, and then stepped back, bringing Mitsuko along with him. Sasuke freed Zaku from his bonds. The wind user smirked. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life."

"Did I now?"

"Of course." replied Zaku, setting off his air tubes. Naruto and Mitsuko sought solid cover as the supersonic wave of air hurtled towards Sasuke, who simply stood there. As the air wave made contact, a large cloud of dust resulted, obscuring the view of everyone present. When the dust cloud settled, Zaku was shocked to see Sasuke still standing as if nothing at all happened. Infuriated, Zaku grabbed a kunai laying on the ground and dashed toawrds Sasuke.

"DIE ALREADY, YOU BASTARD!"

Zaku thrust the kunai forward, only to have it caught by Sasuke, who whirled him around and held both of Zaku's arms in place behind his back. Planting his foot on Zaku's back, he spoke.

"You seem to take pride in these arms of yours... Time for me to rectify that."

Ignoring Zaku's pleadings, Sasuke pulled and pulled until he finally heard the sound of snapping bones.

"Excellent. Now for arm number two..."

"YAMETE, SASUKE-KUN!"

"Goddamn it, I don't want anyone interfering--"

Sasuke spun around and found himself locked in Mitsuko's embrace. Tearfully, the blue-haired kunoichi pleaded with him.

"Please stop, Sasuke-kun... You won. It's over."

"It's not over. It's just begun. He hurt you, now I'll hurt him back," replied Sasuke, his voice flat and vacant.

"No! I'm alright, Sasuke. I'm alright. Please, stop - stop, for me."

Slowly, the marks on Sasuke's body began to recede back into the curse mark. The sudden loss of power weakened Sasuke severely, and Mitsuko luckily was able to catch him as he began to slump to the ground. Not far away, Kin began to stir from her bout of unconsciousness. She opened her eyes to see Naruto's camouflaged face staring at her.

"Boo."

"What the--" began Kin, suddenly feeling something sharp poking the soft skin under her jaw. Naruto helped her rise, but his knife was ready to put her in critical condition if she tried anything. Her eyes wandered around the scene before her, from Zaku on the ground in pain to Dosu, slowly bleeding out of his neck. Naruto, noting Kin's inattentiveness, twitched his knife, bringing the sound kunoichi's attention back to him.

"Here's the deal, Kin. Both of your friends are injured. Dosu is currently in critical condition because I made two cuts in his neck area. A shallow cut to his trachea, and I also took the liberty of nearly severing his Jugular vein. My teammate was kind enough to slow his bleeding with a Gauze pad, but that does not guarantee whether he lives or dies. You have a choice here. Option A, you leave your team's scroll and weaponry behind, taking only medical supplies with you, of which I will contribute a limited amount if necessary. Option B, you end up just like your comrades, or worse. I have killed countless enemy troops with this very knife since I was young. It's up to you whether you want to be the exception or not."

"Do I have a choice? Option A, you bastard." replied Kin, putting as much venom in her voice as she could. Naruto did not react. This was to be expected. Naruto handed over some medical supplies as promised, and freed Dosu, who had no more strength to attack. Kin draped his arm over her shoulder and then picked up Zaku. As promised, she left her team's kunai holsters and their Earth scroll behind. Watching the sound team walk out of sight, Naruto sheathed his knife and walked back towards Sasuke and Mitsuko. Suddenly, Naruto felt himself go limp when he was only a few steps away from Mitsuko and Sasuke, who both caught him as he slumped to the ground. Before blacking out, Naruto realized why his body suddenly reacted like this.

_'Shit... Mitsuko was right. I'm OD'ing...'_

As Naruto lapsed into unconsciousness once again, Team 8 appeared in the clearing, and Naruto's limp, unconscious form caught Hinata's attention and worried her.

* * *

Half an hour later, Naruto regained consciousness and awoke to the odor of smelling salts and the relieved face of his girlfriend. 

"It's comforting to see your face the moment I wake up, Hinata-chan." said Naruto as Hinata pulled him into a tight hug.

"It's comforting for me just to know you're safe and alive." replied Hinata. "What happened to you, Naruto-kun?"

"I made a really simple mistake. I took one asprin too many to keep the pain away, and my blood got so thin that I just passed out."

"Naruto-kun, you need to be more careful. If this keeps happening, you could die from it! And exactly what pain are you talking about?"

"I took a powerful hit from some freak of nature. Not only did I get sent flying into a huge tree, but the bastard planted a weird seal on me, and it's been causing me pain for a while."

"Where does it hurt, Naruto-kun?"

"All my major joints and muscles were hurting before I took the pain reliever, and--OW!-- yup, they're starting to hurt again."

"I think I know what to do. Take off your shirt, Naruto-kun."

Immediately, the world ground to a halt. All the nearby genin stared at Naruto and Hinata in shock. Did Hyuuga Hinata, timid heiress of the Hyuuga clan and main house, just instruct her boyfriend to remove his shirt with all the authority of a Drill Instructor? Apparently, she did, as Naruto unzipped his tactical vest/ceramic armor plate carrier and threw it aside. Then, off came his camouflage BDU shirt and the secondary Kevlar vest under it. Finally, Naruto peeled off his slightly sweat-soaked tank top, bearing his well-toned abdomen and torso for all to see. Normally, Hinata would have fainted were this any other time, but she focused on the task at hand. Activating her Byakugan, she scanned Naruto's various bodily systems until she found what she was looking for. The others watched as she traced her hand over Naruto's chest, slowly down, over his abdomen, slowly over his navel, coming to rest just above waist of Naruto's BDU trousers...

She then took two fingers and pressed in what they guessed to be a pressure point. She twisted her fingers, and after a momentary twinge of pain, Naruto noticed that all the pain was gone completely. He flexed his various muscles, and they seemed to work properly without any pain whatsoever.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan." said Naruto. "What did you do?"

"All I did was hit a pressure point to get your muscles to relax. They were cramped up almost to the breaking point, and you know that would leave you in the hospital for a while."

"True. Look, there's gotta be some way I can repay you guys... I know! Sasuke, Mitsuko, we've got a spare scroll. Are you guys ok with parting with it?"

The Blue-haired kunoichi and the tired Uchiha nodded their assent, and Naruto smiled as he handed the extra earth scroll over to Hinata, who gave it to Kiba for safekeeping. Hinata gave Naruto a quick peck on the cheek and rejoined her team. Before they leapt off into the forest, Hinata said one last thing to Team 7.

"We hope to see you guys at the tower soon, so please don't keep us waiting."

And with that, Team 8 disappeared into the woods. Naruto returned to his team and put all his clothes back on before packing up his gear and helping Mitsuko and Sasuke move out of the area. They walked for quite a while, and eventually Sasuke had regained enough strength to walk on his own. The moment she didn't have to support Sasuke, Mitsuko walked up to Naruto and punched him in the face, sending him to the ground. Sasuke scrambled over and restrained Mitsuko, who now had angry tears flowing from her eyes as she screamed at Naruto for what he did to Dosu.

"NARUTO-KUN, HOW COULD YOU BE SO CRUEL TO A HUMAN BEING?! I KNOW HE WAS AN ENEMY, BUT EVEN THERE WAS NO REASON TO PROLONG HIS AGONY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A RATIONAL PERSON, NARUTO! BUT YOUR DISPLAY OF BLOODY VIOLENCE MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE A MONSTER! IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE? ARE YOU JUST SOME COLD-BLOODED KILLER WHO LIVES FOR THE THRILL OF THE HUNT? ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!"

Exhausted from her enraged rant, Mitsuko collapsed to her knees, tears flowing full force. Naruto looked her in the eyes as he nursed his jaw. He had an equally frustrated expression on his face. He replied to Mitsuko's rant in a more subdued voice, but it was raised, nonetheless.

"The end justifies the means, Mitsuko! If I didn't incapacitate him, no matter how cruel the manner, we could all be dead! I'm not looking to lose you or Sasuke, or anyone I hold close! I've had enough blood on my hands! I wish to protect everyone I care for! That includes you guys as well!"

Naruto's response silenced the group for a while, allowing Naruto to take stock of the area they were in; a clearing with a nearby fast-flowing stream. Then, Naruto thought about what Mitsuko had said. And when he reflected on his actions, he grew shocked at himself. Did he really have to 'incapacitate' that Dosu fellow so gruesomely? And could it really be called incapacitation when it came so close to killing that person? Naruto could not take all the questions bouncing around in his head and felt that a good night's sleep (or something resembling it) would help clear it. Clearing his throat, he turned to the rest of his team.

"Ok, guys. Let's set up for the night. Mitsuko-chan, please set up some traps. Sasuke, please get some firewood while I figure out our location. Naruto pulled out a map while the rest of the team did their assigned tasks. Measuring the distance from the gates to the stream, and then from the stream to the tower, he smiled, finding silver lining in the storm cloud of bad news that hung over his head. They only had a mile to go before they got to the tower.

'_At last.'_ thought Naruto. '_Some good news.'  
_  
As soon as his teammates were finished with their respective tasks, Naruto offered to take first watch, but Mitsuko insisted on it, not stating why. Thus, Naruto and Sasuke got decent amounts of sleep before it was their turn to take watch.

* * *

When Mitsuko woke up the next morning, she noticed she had woken up alone. That was because Naruto and Sasuke were in the nearby stream trying to catch as many fish as they could. The two tried all types of methods. First, they had tried Flushing them into the air out of the water and then pinning them to a tree with a Kunai. Now, Naruto had gotten out of the water, snapped a few branches into handheld pieces, plastered Explosive tag pieces onto them, and went dynamite fishing. So far, both methods were successful, but Naruto and Sasuke felt that they didn't catch enough fish this way. Mitsuko had to shake her head at the sight before her. _'Are all boys like this?'_ She got up and walked towards them, weaving together some of her wires as she did so. As Naruto prepped another explosive tag to continue dynamite fishing, Mitsuko prevented him from priming the device and handed him one end of the net she wove. She tossed the other end of the net to Sasuke, who caught it. After having them hold the net in place, she primed the explosive tag and tossed it upstream, where the fish were trying to swim to. It exploded, the concussive wave killing the fish at the head of the group and knocking out the rest. Naruto and Sasuke watched as the killed and incapacitated fish floated limply into the net. There were so many of them incapacitated, that when Naruto tried to raise the net out of the water after turning it sideways to hold the fish in, he and Sasuke had to drag it ashore. Mitsuko looked at them and smirked. 

"By the way, you guys are welcome." said Mitsuko, pleased with herself.

"Arigato, Mitsuko-chan." chorused the two boys sheepishly, embarassed they hadn't thought of the idea first.

Minutes later, half their catch was frying atop the fire they had built. Naruto pulled out some salt and pepper packets, the kind you could find at any fast food restaurant, and began seasoning some of the fish as they cooked. Soon, the three genin were eating merrily, having not eaten for a while. Their appetites satiated, Naruto pulled out the map and gave the rest of the team the good news. Immediately, they packed up. As they did so, Mitsuko moved to bury last night's hatchet.

"Naruto-kun, I'm sorry for lashing out like that at you. Could you forgive me? I realize you were trying to protect the rest of us, and that's the mark of a good leader."

"I should be apologizing for snapping at you, Mitsuko-chan. You were right, that action of mine was unnecessary. So, with both of us apologizing, let's bury the hatchet."

The two shook hands in agreement, and when they finished packing, they headed north, jumping through the trees at a moderate pace. An hour later, they broke the seal on the tower doors. Stepping inside, they found an empty hall, completely bare save for a plaque on the wall. On the plaque was a quote, broken in some places.

_"If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you open both heaven and earth scrolls, dangerous paths will become safe ones. This is the secret of ---- It shall lead you on your way."_

_  
_All of Team 7's speculation failed to reach a conclusion as to what was written between the words 'of' and 'it'. Naruto himself was stumped for a while, until considering the possibility that it had something to do with the scrolls.

"I have a feeling we've reached our objective." said Naruto as he naded Mitsuko one of the scrolls. "This is probably where we open the scrolls. On my mark, we pull the scrolls open. If you find something suspicious, toss it to the ground. Ok, here we go! 3...2...1... MARK!"

Mitsuko and Naruto peeled open the scrolls in their hands. Upon seeing the center of his scroll bubble up and emit a plume of smoke and seeing the same result on Mitsuko's, the two tossed their scrolls to the ground in front of them. The smoke began to expand in a puff, and as it cleared, a figure could be made out amidst the grey haze.

"Hey, everyone. Long time, no see."

Naruto grinned when he recognized the scar-nosed, tan-skinned adult in front of him.

"Good old Iruka-sensei. I should've known it was you."

"Good to see you and your team made it through, Naruto. I'd treat you guys to Ramen at Ichiraku's--"

Naruto's ears perked up like a dog at the mention of his favorite food.

"-- But I can't, otherwise you guys would be disqualified for leaving the exams without permission."

Naruto's happy expression dropped upon hearing the price to pay for his suddenly-not-so-important Ramen. He was pulled out of his stupor when Sasuke asked Iruka a rather important question.

"Iruka-sensei, what would have happened if we opened the scroll in the field?"

"Good thing you asked. If you did, I had orders to incapacitate and disqualify you three, regardless of your progress."

Naruto inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Mitsuko had openly voiced her curiosity as to what the scrolls contained, and if he was coerced, all their efforts would have been for naught. And even though he felt confident in his abilities in combat, he did not feel comfortable trying to defend himself against an actively aggressive Iruka, whom he considered one of his precious people. Besides, it would be pointless as they would have had failed the exam either way. Finally, Naruto asked a question himself.

"Iruka-sensei, just before we opened up the scrolls we speculated some,but we're still at a loss as to whatever's written on that plaque. It's also sort of broken, so we have no means of figuring out the true meaning of the message. Do you know what it means?"

"Well Naruto, to answer your question, yes. Since it was my second assignment to tell you the meaning, I can tell you that it is a quote from the Sandaime. It is a message that refers to the principle he wrote for anyone to keep in mind as a Chunin."

"And that principle would be...?"

"Well, 'Heaven', in this context, refers to the mind, and Earth refers to the body."

"I'm afraid I don't follow. Could you elaborate?"

"Certainly. As an example, the sentence 'If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared.' refers to knowledge. Basically, if one's weak point is their intelligence and knowledge, they need to study and prepare for whatever may come. The other sentence, 'If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength', refers to physical ability. So if one's weakness is physical, they need to train every day and build up strength, endurance, and in some cases, resistance to the elements and exposure. The last sentence indicates safety with having both, and even hints to the end of the survival mission. 'If you open both Heaven and Earth scrolls, dangerous paths become safe ones.' This is to say that having both attributes of Heaven and Earth allow a person to go through Dangerous missions safely, and possibly easily. Also, this proves you've passed this test."

"Just one thing." said Mitsuko. "There's a missing letter. What was the letter?"

"It's the letter that symbolizes a Chunin!" said Iruka, smiling at them. "The 'human' letter that was in this scroll goes where that missing letter was. The survival mission you managed to finish in a decently-paced two days tests the basic abilities of a Chunin. You see, a Chunin is a commander-class. He or she has a duty to lead a team. Keep in mind the importance of knowledge and strength during missions. As long as you don't forget that principle, you'll be able to proceed on to the next step. At this point, that's all I can really tell you."

"Understood!" exclaimed Naruto, holding a salute. He dropped it when Iruka grew a worried look on his face.

"Still..." continued Iruka. "Don't push yourselves too hard in this third exam. I'm particularly concerned about you, Naruto."

"Well, you shouldn't be. The day I left this place to stop being victimized by angry mobs was the day I decided to take up arms to defend those I was asked to protect and those who needed to be protected. I have been in places and in situations that only an adult could go into and I came out alive even when an adult couldn't. When you gave me that forehead protector, you secured my place in this society as an adult. So there's no need to worry about me, Iruka-sensei. I've been in worse situations before."

Naruto saluted once again, and Iruka returned the salute, a small smile on his face.

"I guess I don't need to worry then." said Iruka. "By the way, Naruto. I believe something that is yours has just arrived. It's in the holding area where all the arriving teams are staying. Good luck to you and your team!"

Iruka disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving Team 7 to proceed to the holding area. Naruto pushed open the doors to the holding area, and upon seeing what Iruka had told him about, he zipped to it so fast that the backwards swing of the door almost smacked Sasuke square in the face. Atop a pedestal were a rifle case and pistol case. Naruto knew what was inside: the weapons in question were the M4A1 RIS (Rail Integrated System) and STI Tactical 5.0 .45ACP Laser/Flashlight-equipped handgun he had lost in the struggle with the Iwa-nin. Popping open the rifle case, he pulled out the M4A1 and brought it outside of the tower. Happy to be reunited with an old friend, even if it were an inanimate object, he slapped a magazine into the mag well and was rewarded with the sound of metal meeting metal. Naruto chambered a round, took aim, set the fire selector to full auto, and squeezed the trigger momentarily to fire a burst. Instead, only one round went off, and its casing didn't even eject. Naruto noticed this, and he came to an alarming conclusion quickly, and began hoping he was wrong.

_'No... Kami-sama, no... Please don't let it be that! It can't be!'_

Naruto quickly ejected the magazine and the spent shell of the solitary round he was able to fire. frantically, he field stripped the M4 and removed the upper reciever from the lower reciever and looked into the gas tubes...

"NO! NOOOOO! WHY, KAMI-SAMA, WHY?! WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

The gas tubes were rammed full of mud, completely stopping the operation of the weapon until it could be cleared. Tears flowing from his eyes in a comical fashion, Naruto resigned to his fate.

"Might as well clean it out now... damn, this'll take forever..."

* * *

Soon, Naruto was inside with Team 7 and cleaning out the gas tubes on his M4 vigorously when Team 8 came up to them. Kiba was clearing out his ears. 

"We heard someone screaming in distress around here. Any idea what or who it came from?"

Naruto was ready to admit that it was him screaming and overreacting to a gun problem he could easily fix, but before he could speak, Sasuke saved him from humiliating himself and spoke instead.

"Must've been the wind, Inuzuka. Is that all you were here for?"

"No. Hinata wanted to see Naruto the moment you guys got in-- hey, where'd she go?"

"Over...here..."

Naruto was pinned to the ground by his girlfriend, who held him in an extremely tight hug. Naruto dared not exhale, otherwise, he'd lose any chance of inhaling more air. Luckily, Hinata realized that what she did was rather out of character for her, and she blushed heavily as she got off of Naruto and helped him to his feet.

"S-sorry, Naruto-kun..."

"Ah, eh, I'm alright, Hinata-chan. By the way, we have some fish for you guys if you're hungry. They've been salted for flavor and freshness," the last sentence he spoke with all the charisma of a TV chef.

Naruto handed the remaining catch of fish over to Hinata, who gratefully accepted it. Thusly, the two sat down and spent time talking together, and Team 8 and Team 7 gave them their space. Before Team 8 retreated to their holding area, Hinata planted a long kiss on Naruto's cheek and while she went away with her team, Naruto turned a bright red. Minutes after Team 8's departure, Gaara came into the room to speak to Naruto.

"Hello, Naruto-san."

"Gaara-san. What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Anything you want to talk about? I heard your team got in here first."

"Well, to tell you the truth, It wasn't without its bumps in the road. Temari-oneesan was attacked by some bastard from Rain village. I was able to defend us from his rain of senbon needles, but he tossed a kunai at oneesan from behind her, and she was hit in the leg before I could do anything about it."

"So what did you do?"

"What do you think? I killed him and his teammates. No one harms my family and lives."

Naruto was genuinely surprised. A few days ago, Gaara was a cold-blooded killer. Evidently, reinforcing the seal had some good effects. He and Gaara talked for a few more minutes, then Naruto went back to cleaning and testing his weapons. Night soon fell, and Team 7 turned in for the night. They could use the sleep, and they could finally relax, for a few days at least.

To be continued...


	9. Chuni Exam Preliminaries

Konoha Marksman Chapter 9: Chunin Exam Preliminary battles

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I do not own NARUTO, which is a property of Masashi Kishimoto and Viz Media. All trademarks are copyright their respective owners.

- - - - - - -

**And now, a word from the author/s**

Hello, this is mp5's editor/creative assistant/slave driver.

First of all, thank you all very much for appreciating Konoha Marksman. Nothing warms our collective cockles (we keep 'em in a jar! What are they? I am not sure! Google says "clams or donax." Go figure, I don't like shellfish!) like positive reviews.

To be honest, when mp5 turned to me and said "I want to write a Naruto fanfic where he uses guns," I kind of rolled my eyes at him. It's crazy, it'll never fly. I wash my hands of this whole thing.

Turns out it was pretty awesome, yeah? So awesome that I stepped in on the wave country arc and helped out with the highly emotional moment contained within there (and I thought I couldn't write tender moments). And you all liked that, too, it seemed. I was impressed. I was even -gasp- motivated to write. And so, yes, I started lurking around mp5 more, peering over his shoulder like some really odd homage to Ryuk from Death Note (with 100 less apples). _No, don't have him say that_, I'll say, or _That sentence is unnecessarily wordy_, or _BEES! BEES IN THE CAR!...RUN AWAY, SAVE YOURSELF! YOUR WEAPONS ARE USELESS AGAINST THEM!_ I'd tell him. I can't help it, part of it I guess is because I'm a journalism student and I love writing.

And since there are now two parties involved in writing this, it takes a little longer. This is because he'll write it up, I'll go through it, input my own stuff. And then we argue about it because he has to explain to me where he wants to go with the plot (you heard right, the younger one explains stuff to the older one). And then we have our disagreements, we get sidetracked, etc. Not to mention writing this isn't our primary job. We go to school, I work, he...does stuff.

OK OK I AM GOING TO GET TO THE POINT NOW.

We really appreciate all the positive feedback regarding UN:KM (oooooh acronym-ized), and we understand you are all very excited to see where he/we are going to take the characters next. Most of all, we understand you want to read it all, now now now.

Thing is, we can't rush it. For one thing, we get writer's block. But more importantly we don't want to put something up sub par (yes, Chapter 7 got reposted). We really really really REALLY want to make sure that when you click the next chapter button, BAM! YOU GET PUNCHED IN THE FACE WITH AWESOME STORYWRITING. That's what I want, at least. Pretty sure MP5 wants that, too.

So, please, stick with us, we promise it will be worth it.

Look, I'll throw you all a bone and tell you what's in store. We've made a filler arc. Except it's an AWESOME filler arc. It involves boxes, guns (oh wait we already have that), cigarettes, dirty magazines, seduction (whoa really?!?) and other things - BUT, are they plot relevant? You'll have to find out.

MP5: Yeah. And now, on with the chapter itself. Oh! And be sure to check out chapter 7! (again) Some edits have been made so that future chapters won't confuse the readers.

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**Chapter 9: Chunin Exam preliminary battles**

The morning sun was a sliver of light peeking over the mountains as Sasuke walked out onto one of the tower's many balconies. He spotted Mitsuko seated on a high bench, legs absentmindedly swinging back and forth. He made his way over to her and as he got closer, he noticed she had a distant look in her eyes.

"Hey"

"...hm? Oh, it's you."

"Yeah, it's me, where were you just now?"

"Um...eh?"

"You had this look on your face," said Sasuke, coming to sit next to her, "like you weren't all here."

"Ah...heh, nothing, it's nothing..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, just thinking about stuff."

"Like?"

"Like...um...new ways to use my wires...?"

Sasuke smirked. "You're a terrible liar."

"Ahh...sorry..." replied Mitsuko, trying her best to smile back.

The sun was becoming more and more apparent, more than half of it had cleared the mountains and was now bathing everything in pleasant shades of orange. Minutes passed between them, seated silently, watching the sun ascend.

"Sasuke."

"Yes?"

Mitsuko turned to the boy. "What happened out there?"

"I'm not sure, myself, I--"

"You scared me," this from Mitsuko, with much concern. "Were you really going to pull that ninja's arms out?"

"I-- Yes. No. I had to, didn't I?"

"You're asking me?"

"Well? I had to, right?" Sasuke said, confusion beginning to creep into his voice.

"I don't know. After what Naruto did, I just -- I couldn't stand to see it," Mitsuko said, "I mean, in hindsight, I understand what he was trying to do, but you...that wasn't you."

"I think it has to do with this seal Orochimaru gave me. When he bit me, I didn't just feel it where his teeth sunk in. My whole body felt like it was on fire. My body felt like my bloodstream was full of fuel set alight."

"That's terrible!"

"It was - I'd never felt so much pain before. And aside from the physical pain, there was also...hatred. There was this immense feeling of hatred for everything around me. It was as if Orochimaru had not only violated my body, but my soul as well. I was completely overwhelmed by the assault, and that's why I passed out," and here Sasuke paused to gingerly touch the seal. Even before his finger had made contact with it, bolts of pain made their way all over his body, causing him to stiffen a little. He tried to hide a grimace, but he could tell Mitsuko saw it.

"When I came to, I still felt like my body was on fire, but there was something else, too."

"Something else? Another type of pain?"

"No. Not pain, but almost as overwhelming. It was power. My whole body was pulsing with energy. Everything seemed so sharp, like I was seeing with new eyes. And then I saw what was going on – you were tending to some ninja, while Naruto was interrogating another, who said it was his mission to kill me. I can't let that happen, not ye--"

"I understand," Mitsuko interjected, "but it doesn't mean --"

"Ah, that's right. You don't know, don't you?" Sasuke queried, his mood slightly darkening knowing he might have to explain everything. "About my family's history?"

"All – all I know is that you're all that's left of the Uchiha Clan, and that the murderer was never apprehended --"

"Yes, and that is why I can't die yet."

"What? Because you need to continue the bloodline?"

"No, nothing so basic. Naruto will probably reprimand me for this, but I'm still very much focused on finding m-- on finding the killer. It has been my goal, the point of my existence ever since Academy. My personality may have changed from what you've heard, but that's all."

_He's right_, Mitsuko thought, _the girls all said he used to be dark and mysterious, but since losing Sakura he'd become a little more open_. "I understand. Please, continue with what you remember."

"Thank you. As I was saying, I couldn't die just yet, and here was this enemy ninja saying he had orders to kill me. Normally, I would dismiss that as an empty threat, but at that moment, I felt so keyed up and so powerful, and I had an intense urge not only to disprove him, but to kill him. It became so overwhelming, like I had become this completely different individual than the self I knew, and this new self only knew one thing – destruction."

"You couldn't do anything?"

"No – it felt a lot like I was watching someone else. It scared me, too. I had to fight through it, but…it was more than I could handle. If it wasn't for you," Sasuke took Mitsuko's hand in his, "I think I would have just be completely consumed by it."

Mitsuko couldn't help but blush at this. "You're – you're just saying that, aren't you? To placate me?"

"No, really, you helped me. I saw you, and I realized, 'Here's someone important to me, asking me to stop. Maybe I should, I have to try.' and somehow I was able to come to my senses. And then you know what happened after that."

"Yes."

A moment passed.

"Mitsuko-chan."

"Hm?"

Sasuke held her hand tighter, and then moved in and leaned his head on the girl's shoulder. This rare moment of affection surprised Mitsuko.

"Thank you so much. Thank you for being there for me. It's nice to know I'm not alone." Sasuke said.

Mitsuko turned to kiss the boy's forehead. "You're welcome," she said, and the two continued to stare at the landscape, now fully bathed in sunlight. Then Mitsuko spoke. "One thing, though."

"What's that?"

"Make me a promise."

Sasuke raised his head off the girl's shoulder. "A promise? What for?"

"Promise me you won't use large amounts of power unless you know you can control it."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I can, Mitsuko-chan."

"'Pretty sure' isn't good enough." the girl answered, turning to face Sasuke.

"Ok, ok. I swear on my long-eventual grave, Mitsuko, that I promise not to use such power unless I know I can control it."

"Good."

"Can I get another kiss?"

"What, you think those come for free?" Mitsuko said, playfully knocking on Sasuke's head. She then excused herself and got up and walked into the tower. Sasuke watched her go, and then started thinking to himself.

_I can't let this control me. I need to find a way to control it, on my own. Or, at the very least, without Orochimaru. I need to show that madman what a big mistake he's made. And then, I'll find Him, and destroy him, too._

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was in a separate area of the tower, practicing his hand-to-hand combat (he discarded the sticks he'd carved earlier), which included CQC and as of recently, Pekiti Tirsia. Pekiti Tirsia was a combat system that employed the use of a knife, similar to CQC, but completely devoid of handgun usage. In the Pekiti Tirsia system, special attention is given to Close-Quarters Fighting, as it is the most dangerous and lethal situation. It is all about total destruction with counter offense while not getting hit. Several counters to it, as well as several re-counters accompany every attack in Pekiti Tirsia. This helps the practitioner develop a plan attack well in advance of the opponent and controlling the fight to dictate the outcome. The system does not believe in defense, as it only gives the opponent a chance to formulate his or her own plan of attack. Naruto remembered these facts as he practiced fighting against one clone after another, going against two or three at a time, dispatching them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Naruto thought back to a week earlier, when he had sparred with his Blackwater colleagues during a break in their training.

- - - - - - - - -

_Flashback_

- - - - - - - - -

_The sound of fists hitting flesh resounded off the surrounding trees as Naruto sparred against Kyle, Ryan, and Ike. Naruto had just incapacitated Ryan with a cross kick to the jaw, sending the adult to the ground. Not missing a beat, Naruto shifted to Kyle and stepped around him, buckling the man's footing with a kick to the back of his knees then shoving Kyle's head to the ground. Finally, it was just Naruto and Ike. Naruto put away his blue Glock 17 simulator and kept his knife out._

"_So, Ike. I assume you know what I'm about to use."_

"_Um, no. Honestly, I don't."_

"_C'mon, Ike. You're Filipino. It's Pekiti Tirsia, duh!"_

"_Well excuse me for not knowing. That's not cool, Naruto. You're stereotyping that I automatically know Pekiti Tirsia just because of my nationality? For shame."_

"_Well,I apologize, but that's too bad that you don't know how to fight using it."_

"_Why is that?"_

"_Because you're going down in the next five seconds."_

_True to his word, Naruto took down Ike in the space of five seconds: he closed the distance and started with an upward punch to his chin, a sweep to the Filipino's legs, and a mock stab to the neck, and several stabs to other vital "soft" points – places to which a well-thrust knife could wreak a lot of damage. Naruto stood up while the other three mercenaries rolled back and forth on the ground moaning in agony._

"_We'll get you for this Naruto. Just you wait." moaned the three mercenaries in semi-unison._

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_End flashback_

- - - - - - - - - -

Naruto dispatched the last clone with ease and then sheathed his knife. He sat down on a nearby bench, taking a long pull from his canteen as he began to think. His experiences in Blackwater had never even remotely prepared him for someone like that Orochimaru guy. Naruto started processing some ideas about him.

Orochimaru probably wasn't a true Nosferatu like that Alucard guy he worked with about a year back before his return to Konoha.

Orochimaru was probably too old to be FREAK-chipped (besides, Sasuke would have been a ghoul by now).

He couldn't be some sort of mutant, could he? For now, this was something he'd have to shelve, since there was no way he could get a blood sample to be sure.

Magic? Close. Maybe some kind of jutsu? That seemed likely.

Still, Naruto contemplated the idea of using specialized bullets, preferably with a mercury core and/or explosive charges just in case. However, that would have to wait until after at least the second exam was over. He couldn't run home and start making any, or he'd be disqualified. All he could do was wait. So, he took advantage of the time and began meditating. While it seemed a little too "Crunchy Granola" for most people, even his colleagues from Blackwater and especially his classmates back in Special Warfare school, he had not done so in a while, and so he welcomed the feeling of calm. Still, he was unnerved that he had lost contact with Kyuubi. Minutes later, he emerged feeling much clearer and sharper.

* * *

Meanwhile, at one of the training grounds, The Konohamaru Corps, under the watchful eyes of an ANBU, were allowed to try out Konohamaru's brand new Walther G22 at the firing range. But before they could do that, Udon suggested they read the instructions.

"Let's see... There should be an instruction guide somewhere in here... Ah! Found it!"

Konohamaru pulled out the instruction booklet and began reading it. A sweatdrop formed on the back of his head and he just found something that would cause him trouble.

"Uh oh."

"What's wrong Konohamaru?"

"The instructions. I can't understand them."

"Why not?"

"Because they're printed in German. I only understand English and Japanese."

Udon and Moegi face-faulted. Naruto, their idol, gives their friend a present, and its usage instructions are printed _in a foreign language?_ Udon then stood up and took out a book from his backpack.

"Here, Konohamaru. This should help."

"What is it?"

"It's a German-to-English translation dictionary."

"That'll take hours!"

"Do you have any other choice?"

"I guess not."

* * *

Back in the tower, Naruto sat with his eyes closed, going over by memory through various procedures listed in a medic field manual he'd read to keep himself busy. Some techniques were valuable, such as self-first aid for gunshot wounds. Naruto paid especially close attention to those, as he knew even the best armor can fail, and he might actually have to stop himself from dying in the field due to a armor-piercing bullet. If necessary, he would most likely have to pluck out bullets from their entry points, and even drain any blood or fluid from his lungs if it came to that. It was nice to have the Kyuubi around to regenerate his wounds, but he had to have a contingency just in case.

He grimaced as he went over a visual demonstration of the procedure in his mind; he saw an image of himself lying on his back in some godforsaken war zone, pulling out a first-aid kit. Naruto watched himself pick up a pair of surgical tweezers, bit down on a piece of wood, and let out a muffled scream of pain as he inserted the tweezers into the chest wound and plucked out a 9mm slug. He then quickly disinfected the wound and placed a bandage over the hole. Afterwards he went for a more difficult wound that had punctured his lung, the thought of which disturbed Naruto, but forced himself to watch. At this point, he was struggling to breathe, but somehow willed himself to insert the tweezer deeply but slowly, so as not to cause any further tissue damage, and making sure he had a firm grip, pulled the bullet out of the entry wound with a sickening slurping sound. Quickly, he watched himself insert a large bore syringe into the entry wound and remove the blood and other fluids beginning to fill it. Tossing the red-stained syringe aside, the self-image placed a gauze patch with some cellophane backing onto the wound and added a tube connected to a spring-loaded release valve. That way, the sucking chest wound would have a way for excess air to escape. Once someone else could verify lung stability, the tube would be removed to permit normal breathing. He watched himself as he leaned back and rested, and the demonstration faded out.

* * *

Konohamaru was reading the manual of the G22 and then referencing each word according to the German-to-English Dictionary. "'Use...the reviews...in the wells'? What? What does that even mean?" Konohamaru said, frustration quite apparent in his voice. Just then, Moegi noticed something about the manual.

"Konohamaru-kun, I think there's something on the back of the manual, but I think the letters are upside down."

"Really?"

Konohamaru flipped the manual over to find something that would save him a lot of grief: an english-language side of the manual.

"Finally! Something I can read and understand so that I can learn how to work this freaking gun!"

The three gave shouts of joy, and Konohamaru breezed through the manual quickly, remembering each and every important detail. Soon, they took turns sending rounds downrange at Tin cans, Paper targets, and metal discs.

* * *

Back at the tower, the last of the Genin teams had finally arrived. Thus, all teams, Konoha or otherwise, assembled in the main arena. Naruto watched as the Jounin talked amongst themselves while everyone there assembled. Naruto suddenly heard profuse amounts of coughing to his left. He turned to see Gekkou Hayate standing there, continuing to cough. Naruto strode up to him and offered him some cough drops.

"Would you like some?"

"What's this? (cough)"

"Cough drops."

"(cough) (cough) What for?"

"You sound like you need them."

"Strange (cough). I feel perfectly fine. (cough) I don't know what you're talking about (Cough, hack)."

"Well, you're coughing pretty badly. You sure you don't need to see a doctor?"

"What (cough) cough are you talking about? I'm perfectly (ahem) fine (cough)."

"Suit yourself."

With that, Naruto turned away, _'That dude is weird. How can he not notice that cough of his?' _

Meanwhile, Kakashi was reading his book, but constantly made brief glances at Anko. Tired of the cycloptic Jounin shooting her these glances, Anko turned to Kakashi and addressed him.

"All right Kakashi, why do you keep looking at me?"

"It's about your outfit, Anko-chan," replied Kakashi, smiling jovially behind his mask.

"Don't call me that. Anyway, what about my outfit?"

"It leaves almost nothing to the imagination."

"Is that it?"

"That is it."

"You know what's coming next, right?"

"Yes," he replied, the creases of the smile smoothing thesmelves out.

Anko reared her fist back and punched Kakashi hard twice in his arm.

"Ow. Hey, why'd you punch me twice?"

"The first one was for commenting on my outfit. The second one was a reminder not to add '-chan' to my name when you address me."

"Right."

"Now shut up already. I wanna hear what's going on."

"Sorry, An--"

"Shh!"

"-ko-chan," continued Kakashi under his breath.

Hayate was explaining the conditions of the exam to the Genin in the room.

"--And whoever wants to quit can quit now. Your team won't suffer for it, we promise."

"Then I'm outta here."

All eyes in the room turned to Kabuto, who had his hand in the air.

"Fine then, Yakushi-san. You may leave."

As Kabuto walked away, Naruto eyed him with suspicion, but quickly turned his attention back to Hayate, who continued explaining the conditions of the exams.

"All of the preliminary fights are decided randomly, and the fights will be displayed on this large screen behind me."

The screen powered up, and names began cycling through.

"Whoever fights first must stay down here to begin the match. Everyone else will go to the spectator balconies as soon as the fighters are picked."

While the names continued to cycle through, Naruto handed Sasuke a leftover explosive tag-stick bomb from their dynamite fishing activities.

"Sasuke, take this, just in case."

"Just in case what?"

"Just in case you run low on Chakra. I know that curse seal gives you more, but I've seen what it does to you. Do not let it get to that point."

"Right."

As luck would have it, Sasuke's name appeared on the board first. He was going up against someone named Akado Yoroi. Naruto and the other Konoha genin went to the right side balcony while the sound and Sand teams went to the left side balcony. Sasuke and Yoroi walked to the center of the arena as Hayate got ready to start the fight. With a shout of "Hajime!" and the drop of his hand, the fight began. Yoroi flickered out of view, and Sasuke frantically looked around. Suddenly, he found himself in a headlock and for some reason, his Chakra was beginning to drain. Yoroi spoke into Sasuke's ear.

"Looks like the almighty Sharingan isn't so powerful after all. I'll suck you dry of Chakra, so if you don't want that, You better give up."

"I've got a better idea."

Sasuke wormed his way out of the headlock, grasped the stick bomb, and shoved the pointed end into Yoroi's chest. Yoroi stumbled back, incredulous at the action Sasuke took.

"Why are you trying to kill me with this occult rubbish? Do I look like a vampire to you?"

"No. You look more like a dead man to me."

Yoroi looked down and saw that attached to the stake was an explosive tag about to go off. It exploded, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. He collapsed to the ground bleeding profusely, and as the Medic-nins carried him off the arena floor, Hayate declared Sasuke the winner. Kakashi had been informed of Sasuke's Curse Seal, so as soon as Sasuke began to walk off the arena floor, Kakashi guided Sasuke elsewhere so that he could do something about the seal.

* * *

The next fight passed by quickly, with Aburame Shino eliminating Abumi Zaku by clogging his air tubes with Kikai Bugs. The next fight on the board was Kankuro vs. Misumi Tsurugi. Immediately, Kankuro forfeited. When asked why, he replied that he was useless without his puppet, which Naruto had so conveniently blown away in their confrontation in the streets.

The names began to cycle again on the board, and when it stopped, the next fight was Yamanaka Ino against Nakagawa Mitsuko. The two Kunoichi walked down to the arena to face each other. Hayate signaled the start of the fight, and Mitsuko immediately had Ino on the defensive. Mitsuko threw barrage after barrage of wire-assisted Kunai at Ino, who kept deflecting them. Ino was eventually backed up against the wall, and Mitsuko took this opportunity to trap Ino using her wires. Ino attempted to make this work to her advantage and completed the seals for Shintenshin no jutsu just as the wires enveloped her and bound her. Mitsuko did not miss this and began fretting. She had to get rid of the wires immediately, because they could be used as a vector for the Yamanaka-only specialty. But then again, what if it was just a ruse? Meanwhile, Ino was moving quickly across the wires and got about halfway down before a flash of pink caught her attention. When she focused on it, what she saw was completely unexpected. It was Sakura's spirit, hovering in place with a halo floating atop her pink hair.

"_Ohayo, Ino-pig."_

"_F-F-FOREHEAD GIRL?!"_

"_In the flesh. Well, not really."_

"_B-B-BUT YOU'RE DEAD! I WENT TO YOUR FUNERAL!"_

"_Yeah, that was nice of you, but I digress. All you see is the astral projection of my soul. I now wander the earth as a guardian spirit, watching over Konoha and all of the precious people I know."_

"_If I could say anything about that, well, I guess that's a really noble thing to do."_

"_Why, thank you. Now you might want to get back to your body. I believe Mitsuko is going to take advantage of your current situation."_

"_WHAT?! OH, DAMMIT!"_

Ino's astral projection rushed back to her body in due time, as Mitsuko was about to deliver a solid kick to her face. Ino leapt up and simultaneously stomped on Mitsuko's other foot to keep the blue-haired kunoichi rooted to the spot, and in a bold move, head butted the poor girl. Ino overdid it, though, and the fight resulted in a double knockout. The two kunoichi were dragged off the arena floor and carried up the stairs by their respective teammates. Mitsuko was the first to wake up with the smell of awful smelling salts wafting up her nose. She opened her eyes to see Naruto smiling at her.

"Ugh. Anyone win that last fight?"

"Nope. It was a draw."

"I can see why. Ino has a hard head. Is Sasuke-kun back yet?"

"Nope."

"Actually, I am."

Naruto and Mitsuko turned to see Sasuke and Kakashi coming in through a swirl of leaves. As Sasuke walked over to Mitsuko, Naruto was taken aside by Kakashi.

"Naruto, we've got a problem. Orochimaru's decided to show himself in the exams. He said that if anyone speaks about him or blows his cover, he'll destroy Konoha."

"That's old news to me, Kakashi-sensei. Right now, I'm focused on progressing through the exams, but more importantly, figuring out how to prepare against him. I'm willing to bet he'll have a huge assault force if he does decide to attack."

Kakashi was about to ask another question when he was interrupted by Hayate declaring Temari as the winner of the match, with Tenten being carried off the field by medic-nins. Naruto watched Shikamaru's match against Kin next. In a daring maneuver, Shikamaru allowed himself to be at least partially caught in the Sound Kunoichi's attempted trap and reversed the situation by using his Kagemane no jutsu to manipulate her movements. Since Kin had some kunai in hand, Shikamaru had her throw them at him only for him to dodge them and slyly manipulate her body so that she knocked herself out.

* * *

The names cycled on the board again, and this time, it was Naruto vs. Kiba. Naruto walked up to the railing, and saw that from up here he could make it to the floor, in "tactical" style. He hoisted one leg over the railing, straddling it a little awkwardly. He then checked to make sure his rifle was slung snugly against him. He then put the other leg over so that he was now facing the rest of the genin. He calmly lowered himself to hang from the ledge on one hand, and then let it go. He let his legs go limp and upon impact, tucked into a roll to absorb the impact and momentum, clutching his assault rifle to his chest. When he came out of the roll he brought the M4 to bear as if to scan the area for armed hostiles.

_That show-off idiot,_ Sasuke thought, shaking his head. "Hey, Army Brat," he yelled down mockingly to Naruto. The blonde boy turned around, rather surprised to hear the nickname he hadn't been called in a while. Sasuke shot him a mischievous smile. "Catch!" Sasuke yelled as he threw a kunai right at Naruto. The kunai landed right at his feet. Naruto let his weapon hang from his sling. He picked up the kunai, stared at it for a moment, put it in an open magazine pouch and then turned around and walked forward to face Kiba.

Hayate signaled for the fight to begin, but before Kiba jumped back, Naruto stopped him.

"Before we fight, there's one thing I want to do."

Naruto ejected the magazines on his weapons and field stripped them. The arena was quiet for a few moments, save for the various clicking and clacking of metallic parts. Soon, his M4 CQBR was in two pieces on the floor, as was his STI Tactical.

"Kiba, I wish to defeat you soundly without using my firearms. Do you accept my offer?"

"Yes, I do. Now let's rumble!"

Kiba jumped back to put some distance between him and Naruto, but Naruto rushed at Kiba, unholstering the Kunai Sasuke gave him. Naruto drew back his arm as he aimed, chanting a mantra in his mind.

_'Aim to miss, Aim to miss, Aim to miss...'_

Naruto flung the kunai, resulting in the bladed object landing right in front of Kiba. _'Gotcha!'_ Using a one-handed seal, Naruto used Hiraishin no Jutsu, which teleported him to the front of a rather surprised Inuzuka. Kiba's inattentiveness got his wrist cut open by a quick slash from Naruto's knife. The cut didn't hit any major vessels, but the shock was enough. Kiba dropped his weapon to try and slow the bleeding from his wrist. Then, Naruto reappeared behind him and dug his knife into Kiba's neck.

"You're no longer in any condition to fight, Kiba. Give up now, or you'll bleed to death," Naruto whispered sharply in his ear.

"Fine," said Inuzuka, a mix of surprise and angry embarrassment in his voice, " You win. Examiner! I surrender!"

"All right then. Shousha, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto released Kiba from his death hold and applied pressure to Kiba's wrist wound with one hand to slow the bleeding. Hayate, seeing what was going on, was calling for some medics when Naruto cut him off mid-sentence. "I got this; I inflicted the wound on a comrade, I can take care of it."

His other hand went to a pack on his belt. He produced a strip of tiny "butterfly" bandages, designed to hold the edges of a cut together. Those he held with his lips. Next, he pulled out some spray-on disinfectant, which he first shook, and then applied to the wound and then replaced in the pack. Still applying pressure, he moved the grasping hand a fraction, in order to begin sealing the wound. He looked down and just over his nose to the sheet of bandages and picked one off, applying first one side of it to a side of the wound, and then tugging very gently at it to close the gap a little, and then applied the bandage's other side to Kiba's skin. He repeated the process a couple more times to secure the wound.

"There. Good as new."

"That was fast, Naruto. Seriously."

"Heh, thanks. Sorry to best you so quickly."

"Eh, it just means I need to train more. I'll have you beat, yet," said Kiba, a wide grin on his face.

With that, the two bowed to each other and parted ways. _You just wait, Naruto, _thought Kiba to himself, _ not only will I defeat you, but I'll humiliate you! And Hinata-chan will be so embarrassed and run to me, her teammate, for emotional support! At which point I will take advantage of her and do unspeakable things to her! In the back of a Volkswagen! YES! YES! BWAHAHAHAHAHAH! Wait... What's a Volkswagen? Hm. Going to have to think that one over. Ah well, I saw it in a movie, once, sounded kinda cool. _As Kiba rejoined his team, he smiled at Hinata, the gesture masking his true intentions. Hinata, not knowing what the smile was for, just politely nodded and smiled back. _Maybe if I play along, he'll stop bothering me_, she thought to herself. _Just smile and nod, smile and nod._

The board cycled again, and then stopped to display the combatants in the next fight: Hinata and her cousin Neji. Naruto had an uneasy feeling about this fight in the back of his mind, but he would still watch this one with interest. _'I'm rooting for you, Hinata-chan. Do your best.'_

Meanwhile, Hinata and Neji finally made it down to the arena floor and met each other face-to-face. It had been a while since the two had even so much as sparred, and Neji noted an aura of confidence that glowed healthily around the Hyuuga Main Branch Heiress.

_'Well, this is certainly new. I've never seen Hinata-sama this confident before. Still, confidence only gets someone so far. In the end, fate will prove that she is still the weakling of the Hyuuga clan.'_

"Hinata-sama, I recommend that you back out of this fight if you don't wish to be severely injured or killed. After all, you are the black sheep of the Hyuuga clan, and--"

"**Enough.**"

A collective gasp went out through the arena. This sort of thing had never happened before. Hinata sassing Neji? This was truly out of left field!

"What did you say?"

"I said enough, Neji." replied Hinata, concentrated fury passing through her voice. "Someone once said to me, 'Talk is cheap. Let your actions speak for you, as they will speak louder than your voice ever will.' And you know what? They're right. Enough with the mind games. Let us do battle."

"If you insist, Hinata-sama."

Hayate started the fight, and both Hinata and Neji engaged each other in close-combat Hyuuga family Jyuuken Taijutsu. The two were trapped in a stalemate. Each attack was blocked, and every counterattack parried. Hinata sensed something was not right, however, and pulled back.

"Neji, I can see through your little games. You're holding back. Do not toy with me. I want a real fight."

"Fine, but don't be surprised when Fate casts its judgment on you."

The two charged into the fray once more, exchanging blows far more forcefully than before. Hinata soon found tenketsu in her body being closed in critical areas such as her arms. Still, Hinata learned to always have a plan.

"Get ready, Neji! I'm about to show you just how much I've improved!"

Hinata charged at her cousin, and when she got close, she tried to sweep him off his feet, which Neji dodged by jumping. Using the short amount of hangtime Neji had, Hinata faced him again and raised the fingers on her right hand, making the shape of a gun. Dropping her thumb down, a sudden blast of Chakra blasted out of her two fingers and hit Neji dead center. She quickly repeated the action, nailing Neji twice more before Jyuuken-palming him in the chest. Neji flew five feet on his back, and remained motionless. Hinata got up, panting from the amount of energy expended in the attack. The teams in the balconies were impressed. The foreign teams had never seen an attack using chakra as an offensive projectile, and the Konoha teams were impressed because they knew the attack was inspired by the guns her boyfriend carried.

"So, still think guns are a waste of time? Still think I'm weak?" questioned Hinata.

First, silence. Had she done it? Had she beat her cousin? The tension and excitement mixed in Hinata's head. Then, suddenly a voice: "No to the former, Yes to the latter." replied Neji, getting up. Hinata was shocked. That attack she devised was supposed to incapacitate even someone as strong as Neji. How could he still be standing? Suddenly, Neji flickered out of view, only to reappear behind Hinata and hold her in place while she struggled against his grip on her. Leaning in close, he continued to demoralize her personally.

"For all your confidence, for all your so-called 'improvement', you are still held back by fate, Hinata-sama. You're still the weakling of the Hyuuga clan." Neji then looked up at Naruto and attacked him verbally. "As for you, Naruto, save your feelings for someone more worthwhile, or you will be constantly disappointed with the fact that Hinata always fails to improve."

Naruto clenched his fists up in the balcony. How dare this bastard insult the one he loved! How twisted of him to insult family! He was going to pay... Meanwhile, Neji had turned his attention back to Hinata.

"And now, to see if fate still has a use for you alive." said Neji coldly. Spinning the heiress around and shoving he just out of arm's length, he shouted out an attack that Hinata knew to fear.

"HAKKE KUSHO! (Eight Trigrams Empty Palm)"

Neji blasted Chakra through his hands, and even though he didn't physically touch Hinata, the distance gap was closed by the Chakra emanating from his palm, allowing him to hit Hinata in the chest 10 times in rapid succession, causing her to vomit blood before she was tossed back ten feet, landing facedown on the ground. Neji relaxed his stance, arrogantly confident that Hinata would finally give up.

"Once a weakling, always a weakling. Give up now, Hinata-sama."

"N...no. I will not give up."

Everyone watched with astonishment as Hinata slowly got up from her position on the floor. Neji was irritated. _'She just does not know when to give up, does she?'_

Hinata continued her speech. "I will not give up because I would dishonor myself in front of those I love... I will not give up because it is no longer part of my vocabulary... most of all, I will not give up because my way of the ninja is to never give up and press on! I would rather proudly face death in battle than to submit to your arrogance! If you haven't noticed, you're the one fighting fate, not me."

Hinata slowly got back into stance and stared Neji down. She didn't care that she could die from the hits to her heart, which might or might not lapse into cardiac arrhythmia at any moment. In fact, she didn't mind dying as long as she could do it standing up to an arrogant bully like Neji. Infuriated by the girl's persistence – to Neji, desperation -- he charged at her out of rage. Hinata coughed up blood as she stood her ground, ignoring the little voice of reason in her head telling her to move. If this was how she was going to leave the world, then so be it.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" shouted a voice. The occupants of the tower arena were shocked to see Naruto leaping from his place on the balcony and sending the collapsible stock of his M4 into Neji's face just as the Hyuuga genius was about to deliver a final killing blow. Neji fell to the floor and momentarily attempted to regain his bearings when he heard the sound of Naruto's STI Tactical chambering a round.

"Any closer, and I pull the trigger."

"Then do it. I dare you."

"Not if you tell me to. Pulling the trigger is my decision, and mine alone."

"Better do it..."

Neji sprang to his feet and ducked past Naruto as he rushed towards Hinata. Naruto spun around, trying to keep Neji in his sights, but at the same time was concerned about accidentally hitting Hinata. He froze, helplessly watching, time stretching into an eternity, with only one thought now racing through his mind:

_Oh god, no. Not again._

Time suddenly sped up again as both Kakashi and Gai appeared in an explosion of smoke and sound. Working in tandem, Gai pulled Hinata out of the way while Kakashi caught Neji at the wrist, twisting his wrist and forcing the boy to the ground. As soon as Gai saw the boy go down he moved over to assist Kakashi with subduing the enraged and resisting Hyuuga, grabbing both of Neji's arms and twisting them behind his back, while Kakashi applied weight to Neji's neck with his knee.

"I should have known!" yelled Neji, "You're all in on it! You're all trying to protect the main family!"

"Kid, I don't know what you're talking about," Kakashi said, "but as far as I know, the branch house is supposed to protect the main house. That's not what I'm seeing here."

"You wouldn't understand, Kakashi-sensei, you just wouldn't!" snapped Neji. Naruto stepped over, and leveled his gun at Neji's head. Kakashi reached out and hit the hand that held the gun, causing it to throw off Naruto's aim. The impact of Kakashi's hand on his own caused Naruto to instinctively pull on the trigger. A shot rang out, and on the ground was a small hole, about two feet from where Neji's head was.

"UZUMAKI, STAND DOWN!" yelled Kakashi as he glared fiercely at his student.

"WHAT?! WHY? I--"

"PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON OR I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN, AS WELL!"

"HE TRIED TO KILL HINATA! HE'S SCUM! HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO--"

"YOU HAD THE CHANCE, EARLIER AND YOU DIDN'T TAKE IT. You're out of line and running on emotions, now. Get your head screwed on straight, boy!"

"Don't tell me that, tell that to him! You're not supposed to kill family, it's--"

"I'm telling it to YOU! STAND DOWN!"

"I...But...He tr--...argh!" Naruto stammered, safing his weapon and holstering it. "DAMN IT!" he yelled, to no one in particular.

"Hinata? Hinata?!? Answer me!" said Kurenai, who had made her way to the arena floor as well while the exchange between Neji, Kakashi and Naruto took place. Hayate was kneeling by Hinata as well, and was checking the girl's vital signs and determining what major injuries Neji may have inflicted. Kurenai was cradling Hinata in her arms, filled with maternal concern for her student. Medical ninjas were just now making their way onto the arena floor with a stretcher.

"This looks bad," Hayate said to himself. And then, to the Medic-nin: "She's unconscious, her pulse is weak and unstable. There might be a few fractured ribs as well. Get her out of here, now!" The medics moved quickly but carefully, gently putting Hinata on the stretcher and getting her out of the arena as fast as possible without making the journey painful for the girl. Naruto followed them out, trailing one of the ninjas carrying the stretcher. "Is there anything else I can do?" asked Naruto.

"You've done enough, we'll take it from here," the Medic-nin replied. Naruto slowed to a stop and watched as they rounded a corner. He turned around and walked back towards where Gai, Kakashi, and Neji were. Naruto stopped, seeing Neji giving him an arrogant smirk. Naruto sorely wished to just blow that damned smirk off the Hyuuga prodigy's face with a burst of 5.56mm rounds. _So easy, it'd be so easy, _he thought to himself. Still, he wouldn't back down, and upon seeing something, he walked closer to Neji. A few feet away from him, Naruto bent down and dipped his left thumb in the small puddle of blood Hinata had coughed up and rolled up his sleeve. He drew a cross on his forearm as Neji watched, and he held it out for all to see.

"I swear on the blood of my beloved that I will avenge her and see to it that justice is administered properly. I hope you're prepared to face me, Neji. My threshold for mercy has been severely lowered when it comes to scum like you."

The names on the board cycled once again, and the result was Gaara against Rock Lee. Naruto wordlessly stepped off the arena floor and ascended the stairs as Rock Lee walked past him. Lee gave him a look of consolation and Naruto smiled a little. In fact, he even grinned and gave Lee the 'Nice Guy' pose and Lee returned it full force. The two were then interrupted from a voice behind them.

"Can we please get a move on?"

Naruto spun around to see Neji behind him. That boy had some nerve...

"Don't give me that look." said Neji. " I'm just going up here to be with the rest of my team, like you should be, Naruto."

"Whatever." replied Naruto. _'Ya jerkoff.'_ he added mentally.

Down on the arena floor, Rock Lee met with Gaara, who had been waiting on him in the center of the arena, arms crossed. Before the fight started, words were exchanged.

"It is an honor to duel against you, Gaara-san."

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with so that I can pass on to the next round," replied the gourd-laden genin. Without any visible effort or movement, the cork on the top of the cork suddenly flew at Lee, who had been alert enough to catch it in his hand before it could hit him.

Hayate started the match, and Lee went on the attack. Lee attempted to hit Gaara with a barrage of punches and kicks, all of them blocked by Gaara's sand. Just as Lee was about to deliver another kick, Gaara knocked him away with a huge fist made of sand. With an opening in Lee's attack, Gaara – or was it the sand acting on its own? - launched his own sequence of attacks, Luckily, Lee landed atop the ram seal statue, where he paused. Looking at his sensei, Gai verbally gave him permission to remove his weights.

"Lee! You may get rid of the weights. Against an enemy like this, you will need all the speed your youthful body can muster!"

Lee nodded and unbuckled the weights hidden in his shin guards. He tossed them aside, and to the surprise of many, the weights were so heavy that they created two small explosions. Naruto was in awe; grinning, he pictured Lee being the ultimate squad gunner, carrying thousands of rounds of ammunition, even sprinting with a full load, and not breaking a sweat. Turning to Gai, Naruto asked the Jounin a question.

"Ne, Gai-sensei. Do Lee-san's weights serve an offensive purpose?"

The jounin responded with a smirk.

"No, Naruto-kun. They are purely for strength training. Why, do you want a pair?"

"No, no. I was just thinking that Lee, were he a soldier where I studied, would be assigned the task of carrying the most weight. However, much of that weight is for offensive purposes. As one such soldier, Lee would stand out in that he could carry more ammunition than any lone soldier in the history of mankind. And if I started a modern military unit here in Konoha, I would test his ability to carry weight. Just how much weight is he carrying around on those ankle weights, anyway?"

"About ten tons."

"T-ten tons?!" asked Naruto, bewildered. Considering the weight of 5.56mm ammunition (5.18 grams), Naruto estimated and realized that Lee could carry over 1,000,000 rounds of ammunition without breaking a sweat. The amount of weight made his head spin. Lee would be an unstoppable squad gunner if he could carry that many rounds on he legs alone, limited only by the conditions for the gun to functions, and the possibility of (a) melting the various parts off of the gun, or (b) jamming the gun. Naruto had to to restrain himself from getting on his knees and begging Gai to let him train Lee as a soldier.

Naruto then continued watching the fight unfold as Lee sped up his attacks to the point where Gaara's sand was beginning to lag. Then, Lee launched Gaara into the air. Leaping up after him, Lee attempted Front Lotus as he used his arm bindings to hold Gaara securely. Gai shut his eyes, praying the technique would work. Thus, he didn't see Lee grunt at a twinge of white-hot pain that broke his concentration as he spun Gaara to the ground headfirst. A large cloud of dust resulted from the impact, and until it cleared, no one knew for sure what happened. Lee was the first to be seen when the dust cleared, and then Gaara's body. Except, it looked to be covered by a layer of dirt, which began to crack, and bits and pieces fell here and there. Eventually the whole layer had come off, to reveal a virtually unscathed Gaara.

"Whew," Gaara said, dusting himself off, "that was close. Could've been bad, heh."

Up on their side of the arena, Temari and Kankuro shared a look. _Eh? First, he staggers around like a drunk, and now he's cocky?_

"You get an 'A' for effort, though," Gaara said to Lee, with what looked to be a smirk on his face. But that disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. "Now, it's my turn."

With that, Gaara's sand leapt up in a wave and slammed into Lee, who was unable to move because of his locked-up muscles. Lee was quickly attacked by the sand, knocking him about with only his arms bracing him against the impacts of each wave. Naruto and Mitsuko watched with astonishment and a hint of horror as Lee continued taking the full force of the attacks.

"I don't get it. With Lee-san's speed, he should be able to dodge all that sand flying at him! What's going on? Why isn't he dodging them?" asked Mitsuko.

"It's not that he _isn't _dodging them. It's the fact that he _can't _dodge those attacks." replied Gai.

"Afraid I don't follow, Gai-sensei." said Naruto, thoroughly troubled and confused.

"I think I can explain it to both of you, Naruto, Mitsuko." said Kakashi. "The move that he used, the lotus, is a double-edged sword."

"How so?" inquired Naruto curiously.

"Well, there's a reason it's a forbidden technique."

"I don't know why that would be."

"Think about it. It is neither a Genjutsu or Ninjutsu technique. It's a Taijutsu move that requires the user to get some seriously high speed. Because of that, it puts a serious strain on the body. Lee can't ignore the pain, so he can't really move around too well right now." Kakashi shifted his attention to Team 9's jounin leader. "Isn't that right, Gai?"

"Oh, no." said Mitsuko, watching Lee again. The spandex-clad Genin was backed up against the wall, breathing hard and trying to recover from Gaara's latest attack. Gaara spoke, impressed that the Genin was able to stand despite all those attacks.

"I'll have to hand it to you, Fuzzy-Brows. You're quite resilient." complimented the Suna ninja.

Up in the stands, Temari and Kankuro were bewildered once again. '_That's the first time Gaara ever complimented anyone! What's going on with him?_'

Lee smiled at Gaara. "Thank you for the compliment, Gaara-san."

"You know, I wasn't saying that I was done fighting you."

Lee's eyes widened and he quickly rolled out of the way as an incoming barrage of sand tried to crush him again. Lee ran for his life as he narrowly avoided each and every blob of sand launched at him missed him by mere inches. Kankuro and Temari noted that Gaara was basically toying with Lee, and soon enough, that fact was further supported by an amused chuckle coming from Gaara himself.

"What's so funny?" said Lee, continuing to run.

"Look at you, Fuzzy-Brows! I've got you running around in circles, and I find it funny because it reminds me of some slapstick comedy show. I find the resemblance rather amusing."

Lee processed this, and he skidded to a halt. A split second later, he was thrown into the air by sand launching out of the ground.

"That didn't mean you should stop running, though."

Lee leapt back and looked to Gai for permission to use his trump card. Gai nodded his consent, a gesture Kakashi did not miss.

"Gai, you didn't teach him about Reverse Lotus by any chance, did you?"

"I did teach it to him."

"Then how many gates is he capable of opening?"

"Five of the eight gates."

"Holy hell, Gai..."

"I'm not exactly understanding all this," said Naruto. "and I doubt Mitsuko-chan does either. What is all this talk about the 'Eight gates' and the 'Reverse Lotus', anyway?"

"I can explain." said Gai. "The Eight Gates Manipulation is a way to remove limiters in preparation for using the Primary Lotus Manuver."

"Removing limiters? You mean like flipping the fire selector on an automatic weapon?" asked Naruto, beginning to grasp the concept.

"Close enough." said Kakashi, revealing his Sharingan as he watched Lee. Sasuke wanted to do the same as well, but he was still feeling a bit drained. Kakashi continued with his explanation.

"There are eight of these gates in the Chakra circulatory system. In order, they are the Open Gate, Energy Gate, Life Gate, Wound Gate, Forest Gate, View Gate, Insanity Gate, and the Death Gate. All of these gates together constantly control the Chakra flowing through one's body. The Lotus manuver breaks them open with force and grants the user upwards of ten times more power. That right there is its power source."

Gai added, "The Front Lotus affects the Open Gate, and relaxes the brain's control over the muscles to allow the user to push the limits of each muscle."

"Then what about Reverse Lotus?" asked Sasuke, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Reverse Lotus requires at least the Life Gate to be opened. One could open more gates to maximize the potential for damage, though."

"But won't a more strenuous move than the Front Lotus put Lee in danger of killing himself?" asked Mitsuko concernedly.

"Yes." said Kakashi. "By opening all eight gates, one can theoretically gain power greater than a Hokage, at least for a certain period of time. But as a result, the user will... well, there's no other way to put it, but the user will die."

Kakashi turned towards Gai and glared at him. "I'm not trying to preach, Gai, but there is such a thing as a limit. I've lost faith in you."

Gai returned the glare. "What would you know about him? He has something important to protect and prove to everyone, even if it means his demise. He wants to prove that he can be an excellent ninja even if he can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. And I want to make him into a man who can stick to those words. It's that simple."

"As long as he's careful, I wouldn't be surprised if he did." said Naruto. "He's the kind of person I would want to have in my squad."

"At least _someone_ has faith in me." said Gai, ruffling Naruto's hair.

They watched as Lee got into a stance when suddenly, the air around him grew wavy as more chakra began to surround him. Gaara was astounded at the sheer amount of Chakra the genin was emanating. The amount of Chakra grew larger and larger, and it had an amazing physical effect on Lee. First, veins on his face began to bulge, then his skin turned red due to the sudden increase in his blood-oxygen level. The gates all the way up to the Forest Gate had been finally opened, and it was time for Lee to launch his counterattack. And so he did, starting with a kick to Gaara's chin, sending the Suna genin into the air. Lee practically warped back and forth, enveloping Gaara in a near-360 degree barrage of punches and kicks before Lee's muscles locked up completely and both of the genin fell to the ground.

In the ensuing cloud of dust and sand, Lee managed to weakly crawl away from the area to put some distance between himself and his opponent.

"What's the matter," Gaara's voice said from somewhere in the cloud, "is that all you've got? All out of acrobatic trickery? All done?" Lee did not respond, continuing to open up space between himself and where he'd landed.

"I've got news for you, Fuzzy-brows. **I'm not.**"

Suddenly, tendrils of sand shot out and enveloped Lee's left arm and leg, and in a split second, both were broken. Lee let out a scream of pain before passing out. Meanwhile, the sand had settled to reveal Gaara on a large cushion of sand, breathing heavily, his fist clenched, showing that he had indeed used either his Desert Funeral or Desert Coffin Jutsu. Gaara smirked, arrogant even in victory.

"Looks like even Konoha's fastest just isn't fast enough." commented Gaara. Meanwhile, Naruto and Gai were on the arena floor trying to help Lee, who was still unconscious. As Hayate called for Medic ninja, Naruto already had his medical bag out, administering first aid as he cut open the legs of Lee's outfit before bandaging the blood-soaked leg and adding whatever rigid material he had left to use as a splint. Finally, the medic-nins took over and Naruto began putting away all he had left. One of the medic-nins did a diagnostic jutsu and his eyes widened when he found something rather grave. He took Gai aside, but Naruto was able to hear what they were speaking about. Naruto hung his head at about the same moment as Gai did when he heard that Lee might not be able to live the rest of his life as a ninja.

During the fight, Naruto's respect for the green-clad genin had risen considerably, especially since the boy could still hold his own very well in the fight despite not having the ability to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, skills essential to any normal ninja. As Lee was carried out of the arena, the last fight appeared on the board, and it was Dosu against Chouji. Dosu and Chouji entered the arena without much fuss, and as usual, the moment Chouji was called fat, he spouted his usual defense about how he wasn't fat, but large-boned. The moment the fight began, an enraged Chouji morphed into a large human ball and attempted to flatten Dosu for his inflammatory remark. They continued on for some time like this until Chouji was rendered unable to fight when Dosu used Chouji's innards as conductors for his melody arm by activating it during a punch to Chouji's gut. When the medic-nins came to help, it was clear that Chouji would not need much to recover, as he expressed his desire for delicious Korean Barbeque.

With the end of that fight, Sarutobi called down all the finalists for the Chunin exams. After they completed the process for which fights would be decided, they found out who would be fighting against whom.

The fights were listed as such:

**UZUMAKI NARUTO V. HYUUGA NEJI**

**ABURAME SHINO V. MISUMI TSURUGI**

**SABAKU NO TEMARI V. NARA SHIKAMARU**

**SABAKU NO GAARA V. UCHIHA SASUKE**

As soon as the finalists were dismissed with the knowledge that they had one month to train for the finals, Naruto turned around to catch up with Kurenai and Team 8 when he saw that they were headed in the same direction he wanted to go: The tower infirmary.

"Kurenai-sensei, may I come along with your team?" asked Naruto with a worried and uncertain expression on his face. "I'd like to visit Hinata-chan as well, if it's all right with you."

"Sure you may, Naruto." replied Kurenai. "I think she may need your company the most."

Kiba frowned. Why would Hinata need Naruto more than either of her teammates? Just what the hell was so special about some gun-slinging blonde kid? Then, the hard truth hit him, and he somberly accepted it. He would have no chance with Hinata because she was in love with Naruto, who loved her just as much. No wonder she talked about him so much. No wonder he drew his gun on Neji. And now, no wonder he wished to come along with them. Kiba was no expert on love, but even he figured the best thing to do would be to let Naruto spend some time alone at Hinata's side. He needed to know that his girlfriend was going to be ok in order to relieve himself of the uncertainty plaguing him. So at the entrance to the infirmary, Kiba allowed Naruto to enter in front of him.

* * *

At the recovery unit in the infirmary, Naruto sat at Hinata's bedside in numb disbelief. Never before had he seen the girl he loved with all his heart in such a vulnerable state. She had only been recently stabilized, and despite this, she still had to be connected to an array of monitoring equipment, not to mention an oxygen line considering the difficulty she had breathing shortly before she went unconscious in the arena.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan." said Naruto to the sleeping form of his significant other. "I should never have let it get this far. I should've stopped Neji from even getting the chance to get up after you brought him down with that one attack. I put you in needless danger, and now you're paying the price. I'm so sorry, Hinata-chan..."

Naruto did his best to keep from breaking out into tears as he grasped Hinata's hand. Straightening his expression, he opened the palm of her hand and reached around his neck. He detached his dog tags, tucked a small, hastily written note between them, and placed them in her palm and closed her fingers around the small metal disks.

"Hinata-chan, I promise on one of my most valuable possessions that I will make things right. You'll see."

With that, Naruto rose from his seat and walked to the door of the room. The moment he sat down on one of the benches where Team 8 was sitting, tears immediately spilled uncontrollably from his eyes. Kurenai came over to comfort him.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" asked the red-eyed Jounin.

"I feel h-helpless." stammered Naruto, his voice cracking. "I feel helpless and guilty knowing that Hinata's critically injured! I feel helpless seeing the strong, gentle, and kind girl I fell in love with having to fight for her life! And you know what? It's all my fault! If I'd stepped in ten seconds earlier, If I'd stepped in while Neji was down so that I could keep him that way, she wouldn't be like this! Why-- why did I let this happen?!"

At this point, Naruto threw all pride to the wind and cried himself out on Kurenai's shoulder. The jounin stayed there for as long as the blonde needed, knowing that it would help, even if only slightly.

"Shh... It's ok, Naruto. It's not your fault, I promise. You did the right thing at the right moment. You saved her from losing her life, Naruto, and I'm glad you chose to leap into the arena at that moment. Now let it all out, Naruto-kun. I'm here for you, and so are Kiba and Shino."

* * *

Later that night, Hinata awoke to see Team 8 in the room asleep. Removing her oxygen mask, she was able to breathe normally. Suddenly, she heard something rattle, and looked down to her left hand, still closed around some sort of object. Opening her hand, she gasped softly when she saw Naruto's dog tags tucked in the palm of her hand.

'_Naruto-kun was in here?_' she wondered. '_Why do I have his dog tags? Naruto-kun never goes around without these—wait, what's this? A note?_'

Hinata unfolded the note and read it. The note read:

_Hinata-chan,_

_Words cannot express my sorrow for not being able to stop Neji before he heartlessly attempted to kill you. If you can forgive me, then please wear these when you go to watch the finals. I promise, Hinata-chan, I will make things right. I already lost someone close to me, I do not wish to lose you as well. Please take care of these Dog Tags; they are one of my most prized possessions._

_I'll show Neji the error of his ways. I'll prove to him that you are stronger than him in more ways than just one. I love you too much to let him put you down. Just you watch._

_Sincerely, _

_Uzumaki Naruto_

Hinata found herself tearing up at Naruto's note. She clutched his dog tags in her hand for a moment, and then she fastened the chain around her neck and lay back down, smiling as a solitary tear of joy flowed down the right side of her face.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. But please, don't be so hard on yourself. You did what you could, and I'm glad you protected me with all your might." whispered Hinata.

As Hinata went back to sleep, able to breathe freely, Kurenai smiled. She was watching the entire time through a half-open eyelid and knew in her heart that Naruto was a man of his word. He would go through hell and back just to make sure Hinata was safe, and the dog tags and the note only served to prove the boy's devotion to her kunoichi student.

Naruto lay awake in his bed at Uzumaki mansion, his upcoming fight with Neji weighing heavily on his mind.

'_I have to get stronger._' thought Naruto. '_My current skills are not enough to defeat Neji all on their own, especially without Kyuubi to help me. That's it. Tomorrow, I'm going to see Kakashi-sensei and find out if he can help me with any of the techniques in the Uzumaki clan jutsu scroll._'

With that last thought, Naruto closed his eyes and let himself sleep. Tomorrow was going to be the first of many days preparing for his fight.

_To be continued..._

* * *

FUN FACT: MP5 wrote most of this, with his accomplice only sitting down to write the beginning and then pitched ideas the rest of the way. 


	10. A Month's training part 1

Konoha Marksman Chapter 10: A Month's Training

--------------------------

Disclaimer: NARUTO is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Viz Media. All other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

"_The craziest dreams are often the most profound." --Sigmund Freud_

Naruto began the next morning like usual. Waking up early, he went on a jog and added some weight to the training rucksack he had. Upon completing his 20-minute mile, he returned home for a shower and then ate breakfast just as Kyle, Ryan, and Ike got up for the day. Still, Recent events weighed on Naruto's mind, and he was distracted by the fact that today, he went through his morning routine alone. Even more distracting was the dream he had during the night.

_Flashback_

------------

_Naruto was in a large room devoid of any real furniture or windows. On one side of the room was Naruto on the other, a large dark mass – wait, now it started to define itself – it looked to be about a dozen humanlike shapes, and in the midst of the room was a customized AK-47 assault rifle with two pairs of 30-round magazines. The situation dissolved into a temporarily one-sided and lethal game not unlike __dodgeball__ as Naruto ducked and weaved through a hail of kunai, __shuriken__, and projectile jutsu before he snatched the assault rifle and rolled for cover behind a few crates. Acting quickly, he rocked one of the pairs of taped magazines into the magazine well, yanked the charging handle back before letting it go, and he flipped the fire selector to full-automatic as he began firing two-shot bursts into the head or chest of each hostile. Ducking back down to reload, Naruto flipped the taped magazines over to reach the second magazine and he had just rocked it into place when he felt a presence behind him. Racking the charging handle as he whirled around, he looked up just in time to see two blood-red Sharingan eyes staring into his own. Suddenly a __katana__ appeared and sliced Naruto's AK-47 in two from the barrel all the way down to the stock, and then was brought up again, this time to come down on his head._

_- - - - - - - - - - -_

_End Flashback _

Naruto visibly shuddered upon remembering that dream and then shook his head. '_I gotta stop thinking like this. The future doesn't matter at this moment; we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. What matters right now is training. My conventional techniques won't work against someone like Neji, and I can't always be using bullets. It's time I started using clan techniques, or at least the stuff dad invented. Kakashi-sensei knew him well, maybe I can start by asking him._'

With his mind at ease, Naruto finished his breakfast in silence while Kyle, Ryan, and Ike drank some coffee to get the sleep out of their eyes. Now that they've had some caffeine in their system, the three were willing to converse about important topics.

"Does anyone know where a guy can get laid around here?" asked Kyle. Immediately, three separate spit takes ensued and both coffee and (in Naruto's case) tea were sprayed in droplets on the kitchen counter. Ryan glared at Kyle.

"_Don't say that!__Especially not around the kid!_" hissed Ryan before Naruto could fully comprehend what Kyle had just said.

"Pff." scoffed Kyle. "You're such a mother hen, Ryan. Besides, this kid's got a girlfriend! He's got it made, and 'the talk' can be done anytime."

Kyle found himself the target of a killing glare from Naruto before he found himself on the floor, grasping his pained crotch and equally pained... well, if you know what Kakashi is infamous for in terms of a certain jutsu, you know what's hurting.

"Damn!" said Naruto. "When Kakashi-sensei does it, the vict-- er, target always takes off into the sky!"

"Wasn't that a little much, Naruto? After all, it is pretty early, and when a man wakes up even after his first taste of real coffee, he's still vulnerable to saying things most vulgar and unusual. In this case, he was resuming his train of thought from last night."

"You mean this is kind of all he thought about last night?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Naruto was a tad irritated that one of his friends was so... so... he couldn't even think of an adjective. But it was certainly derogatory, he just couldn't think of one. Sure he was awake, but like Ryan said, too early to think properly.

"That's enough of that." said Naruto, feeling displeased at Kyle's behavior. "I'd like to change the subject and talk about something more important. Are you guys allowed to fly yet? Are you done with your ninja training?"

"One thing at a time, Naruto. First, yes, we're allowed to fly now. They just cleared us for the task yesterday. As for ninja training, the hard part's over. We've got leadership training left over, and we don't have to do that until later in the day. That it?"

"Kind of. You see, I have one month to train for the Chunin exam finals. I need your help, because I need some fast rope practice. I'm looking to ride the line between safety and speed, and I need to be able to do it without night vision equipment or illumination."

"That's a tall order, Naruto. No one really fast ropes at night, especially without NVG's. But, I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." replied Naruto. Looking at the clock, he realized he had to leave. "Would you look at the time. Later, fellas. I gotta go."

Naruto walked down to the armory and picked out his weapons.

"Back to basics this month, so no 416 for me just yet." said Naruto to himself. Opening the pistol section, he picked out a Beretta M92FS automatic service pistol, the standard sidearm for United States military and police forces around the world. Its reliability was decent, and it packed 15 rounds of ammunition. To top it off, the round was not as loud as a .45 caliber, but on the same token, it did not possess the same amount of stopping power, which was probably the reason for the generous magazine capacity. Naruto also grabbed 4 magazines for the gun , stuffed one into the grip, and placed the rest in 3 different magazine pouches.

He then moved to another section of the armory and ran his finger along the gun rack full of various assault rifles until he found what he was looking for. Naruto reached up and plucked out a completely stock Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. No bells, no whistles, just 2.83 feet of stamped sheet metal and polished pine tree wood, every inch of the gun originally designed in some way to contribute to stopping the enemies of the Soviet Union dead in their tracks -- just add bullets. Of course, Naruto had used it to stop other enemies; it wasn't like the AK-47 was designed specifically and solely for killing communist opponents. Attaching a 3-point sling to it and rocking a 30-round magazine into place, Naruto hefted the gun over his shoulder and head and then let the gun rest at his side before grabbing 3 extra magazines and a drum magazine. Naruto then walked out of Uzumaki mansion, mounted his dirtbike, and rode to Konoha Hospital.

At the hospital, Naruto found Kakashi waiting in the lobby for Sasuke's checkup to finish.

"Ohayo, Kakashi-sensei." greeted Naruto.

"Ohayo, Naruto-kun. What brings you here?" asked the Jounin.

"Funny you should ask. You knew my father pretty well, right?"

"Yes, I did, and I have a hunch as to where this conversation is going. Look, Naruto. As much as I would like to train you, I'm the only other person in town who has the Sharingan aside from Sasuke, and I have to train him in its use, or he'll be left out in the cold. I'm sorry I can't train you, Naruto. But, I've found someone else willing to train you."

"Who would that be?"

"Me."

Naruto looked over Kakashi's shoulder to see a man with a Konoha Bandanna, Frameless Sunglasses, and a Jounin outfit, minus the vest.

"Hey, I've seen this guy before!" exclaimed Naruto. "I remember I was practicing my Recon Skills on various people in town, when I spotted this guy coming out of the Pink—mmph!"

Naruto was interrupted by the aforementioned man giving him a noogie while muffling his words with his hand.

"_Don't say a word, Naruto._" whispered the man. "_Get me through this without __embarrassing__ me, and I'll treat you to a __Ramen__ Lunch._"

"U ot or elf uh eel (You got yourself a deal)." Said Naruto, his mouth still covered. The man released him, and Kakashi was still wondering what transpired.

"Naruto, what did you say? Did it have something to do with Ebisu here and the Pink Boutique?"

"It was nothing, Sense. Now that I think about it, it was probably some other perv."

"...ok."

"Well, we best be off, Kakashi-san." said Ebisu. "Come along, Naruto."

"Right." said Naruto, following Ebisu out of the hospital. As Naruto passed by his bike, he sent it back to Uzumaki Mansion through a summoning scroll. Ebisu was moderately impressed. Wordlessly, the two continued to Ichiraku Ramen Bar, where while they ate, Naruto finally spoke.

"Ebisu-sensei, what sort of training am I going through?"

"Chakra Control." replied Ebisu dryly.

"Why?"

Ebisu pulled down an animated chart and began to explain. "Well, for starters, while you have some high-level techniques at your disposal, you need higher Chakra Control in order to master them. Kakashi-san noticed that while you are relatively good at replicating Yondaime's Jutsus, you will need perfect Chakra Control in order to fully control the precision of those Kage-level Jutsu."

Ebisu then showed a chibi version of Sakura, now with a Halo. "From what Kakashi has told me, Sakura had been known in her class for absolutely perfect Chakra control. Now were she to have your Chakra reserve levels, she would be able to land perfectly in the center of a bullseye into which a kunai has been planted for using Hiraishin no Jutsu."

Ebisu then did one of Sasuke. "As for Sasuke, he tends to put a little too much Chakra into his attacks and jutsu, and as a result, if he were to attempt Hiraishin no Jutsu, he'd overshoot the target by a foot or two."

Ebisu finally did one of Naruto. "As for you, Naruto, your results would be completely random. Your Level of Chakra control fluctuates, and as a result, you will either overshoot or fall a few feet short, so you are being forced to compensate." thus ended Ebisu's explanation.

"So what sort of Chakra training am I doing?"

"Water Walking."

"Wait... What?"

"You heard me."

Naruto shot Ebisu a 'You've got to be kidding me' look. Then, "We are _not_ water walking."

"Care to tell me why you're so averse?"

"Well, Do I look like Jesus to you?"

"Ah, forget about those damn western religions for a moment. I can't believe those bastards made such a spectacle about a simple Chakra Control Exercise."

"And another thing; the way I was taught, staying underwater during combat will keep you alive longer."

Naruto pulled out his own sketch pad, and within minutes, had a working frame-by-frame demonstrational manga, all of it in Chibi/ Super-Deformed Format. The moment he was done, he showed Ebisu the mini-manga, explaining as he went along. The first panel featured a Navy SEAL clad in full gear waving to the viewer.

"Ok, let's take your typical Navy SEAL, who has learned to master underwater insertion techniques." said Naruto as he flipped the page to another panel. "When inserting into an area where there's bound to be sentries, searchlights, and probably snipers, he tries to stay underwater as much as possible and makes sure that he or she does not give any indication that they are even in the water. That includes scuba gear that has a rebreather to keep any telltale bubbles from rising to the surface. Now observe,"

Naruto then flipped the page to begin animating an amphibious assault sequence. " as the SEAL stays relatively deep underwater with his team, well away from the water line. Though there maybe searchlights, sentries with binoculars and night vision goggles as well as snipers with night scopes, note how they are never found by the searchlights or anything else."

Naruto flipped onto another page. "Now take that same Navy SEAL and have him master the water-walking exercise. Hell, even have his Team join his ability level. They all run towards their objective atop the water, perfectly controlling their Chakra. Then, a searchlight spots them. Two of his team members are downed as a result. A sentry spots him and his teammate. His partner is swiftly taken out by a burst of assault rifle fire. The lone SEAL has a chance of making it onto shore and then, POW!"

Naruto had flipped through many pages to show a detailed flipbook animation of the Chibi/SD Navy SEAL taking a bullet to the head and consequently having his brains spilled into the water.

"The water-walking SEAL does not survive, and his entire team is wiped out. Here, Let me rewind and play it again so you get this through your head."

Ebisu was a little disturbed at the gory animation Naruto drew. "Please, Naruto! Enough! I'm trying to eat!"

"Look, what I'm saying here is that even if I do get water walking down pat, I don't see myself using it or having a practical use for that technique."

And with that, the two ate the rest of their meal in silence. Soon, the two were finished, and Ebisu paid for 14 bowls of Ramen, two of them his and the other twelve belonged to Naruto. Luckily, Naruto reimbursed the Jounin, who would've been flat broke for the rest of the day. The two walked off to the hot springs bathhouse (though Naruto wasn't informed of this and was thoroughly surprised and even a little suspicious when they got there).

_Meanwhile, Inside Naruto's mind..._

* * *

"_One more turn and... there! Red side is done!" said Kyuubi, proud of himself. "Now for the other 5 sides of this thing. Let's solve blue side next."_

_Kyuubi turned the Rubik's Cube about in the palm of his hands. He sweatdropped when he saw that the blue panels were scattered all over the rest of the cube._

"_I'm very tempted to relocate the stickers, but that would be cheating. Well, gotta press on and do my best not to screw up red side." _

* * *

- - - - - - - - - -

Naruto and Ebisu arrived at the hot spring bathhouses for the water-walking exercise, and Ebisu started the lesson immediately.

"All right then, to start off, let me show you how to perform the technique you have to practice. Unlike tree walking, where you could keep a set amount of chakra to stick yourself to a surface, you have to adjust the flow of your chakra during water walking to stay above the surface. Here, watch."

Ebisu formed the ram seal until his feet were bathed in Chakra. Then, he nonchalantly strode onto the surface of the bathhouse's water supply. "See? It's easy!"

"For you, maybe. I'm still quite hesitant about this. What if a sniper picks me off from a thousand yards?"

"For the last time, Naruto, no sniper is going to pick you off. You're in the safety of Konoha!"

"Oh yeah, I feel real safe surrounded by a bandwagon load of crazed prejudiced villagers who would like nothing better than to see my brains splattered on the ground by some bastard with a rifle."

"Naruto! Be rational and stop being so paranoid! No one is going to kill you! I'm here to see to it that you don't get killed during your training!"

"Fine. I still think this is a really stupid technique, though."

Naruto dropped his weapons and spare magazine pouches on the ground until there was only the main platform onto which the pouches were mounted. Forming the ram seal, he held it as he took a few uneasy steps onto the water until he lost control of his chakra flow and dropped into the water, which was steaming hot.

"YEEOW! I'M BOILING LIKE A GODDAMN LOBSTER HERE!" shouted Naruto as he hurriedly scrambled out of the water.

"Sorry about that, Naruto. But there's a reason they call these places hot springs." said Ebisu, barely concealing an amused grin.

"_Sorry, na-roo-toe, but there's a reason they call these places hot springs, blah, blah blah, I'm a total asshole and closet pervert."_ muttered Naruto, mocking Ebisu's words. Standing up on the bank, Naruto formed the Ram Seal again and walked onto the hot water, getting further this time before scalding himself by being suddenly immersed in the hot water. Naruto repeated this process a few more times, getting further out with each try. Ebisu watched with mirth in his eyes, impressed that Naruto was progressing so quickly. Suddenly, the sound of giggling caught his ears, and he turned to see a white-haired man.Ebisu was immediately offended at the shameless display of pervertedness.

"You there! Get away from that fence at once and avert your gaze! I will not have such dishonorable acts performed in my presence!"

"Hm? Who dares interrupt my research?" asked the white-haired man.

"Your so-called 'research' is merely vulgar peeking! Get away from that fence!"

"How about you take a nice flight?" asked the white-haired man. A large orange toad suddenly appeared below him, and it promptly lashed out its tongue to hit Ebisu in the face. Ebisu was sent flying skywards, and then just as quickly crashed to the ground unconscious. Naruto got out of the water and walked over to Ebisu. Kneeling down, he reared back the palm of his hand and delivered a hard slap to Ebisu's face. Not getting a response, he tried again with the back of his hand. Nothing. Naruto repeated this until it was clear to him Ebisu would not wake up with such a weak method. So Naruto flipped Ebisu onto his stomach, walked around to the Jounin's lower back area, crouched down, and formed the ram seal.

"Taijutsu Ougi: Sennen Goroshi(Taijutsu Supreme Technique: 1000 Years of Death)!"

Naruto shoved his fingers into the target, but still Ebisu did not wake up. Frustrated, Naruto only had one person to blame for all this. He turned to the white-haired man.

"Excuse, me sir."

"Hm? What is it, Kid?"

"Um, you knocked out my instructor. Was that really necessary?"

"Of course. He interrupted my research."

Naruto flew into a rage and began screaming at the top of his lungs. "RESEARCH?! RESEARCH?! ALL YOU'RE DOING IS PEEPING ON THE WOMEN IN THE BATHHOUSE WHILE THEY ARE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF SOME DIRTY OLD MAN WATCHING THEM!"

The women inside the bathhouse heard this and scattered immediately. Their frightened screams were not unnoticed by the man, who desperately pleaded for them to come back, but to no avail. Frustrated, he turned to Naruto.

"Now, look at what you did!"

"Look at what _**you**_ did!" retorted Naruto, gesturing to Ebisu's unconscious form. "It's only fair that you train me now, seeing as you incapacitated my instructor!"

"I'll only train you if there's something you can offer me that I'm interested in."

Naruto slapped his palm on his face and dragged it down. '_God, I can't believe I have to resort to this._'

Naruto caught the white-haired man walking away.

"Kid, if you don't have anything of interest, I'm going now."

"Wait!"

"To wait is not something that interests me."

"Breasts!"

"Wha?" said the man, freezing in his tracks.

"The size of volleyballs!"

Not taking another step, the man pivoted in place, one leg still in midair.

"Breasts the size of volleyballs you say? I'm listening."

Naruto caught up with the white-haired man and looked around to make sure no one was watching. In a lower voice than usual, he elaborated on the subject of interest.

"Six years ago, I went to foreign lands to study advanced hand-to-hand combat techniques among other things. While I was there, I saw women with breasts that were invitingly large. And I have proof of it in pictures and movies so erotic, to openly show them to you would be too vulgar for the common man. But I am willing to give it to you, as it is a win-win situation for you and the subjects of your research. They don't get bothered, and you don't get beat up. Basically, you can do research in the privacy of your own home, and all you need is a television, a Tape Player or DVD player, and a comfortable chair. And then, sit back, and prepare to be bombarded with enough research material to last you a year."

"Where do I sign?"

"All you need is to train me for this month. Each day, I'll bring you more research material, discreetly, of course, in the form of print, photography, and video."

"You've got yourself a deal, kid. What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, sir. **Konoha's Marksman.**"

'_Uzumaki?_'thought Jiraiya. '_Is he related to Arashi? I mean, that is what he signed on the toad contract, but he said that was just so his name on the contract would be complete...'_

"The name's Jiraiya, kid." said the white-haired man. "And I'm the Toad Sage."

"Um...who?"

"You mean, you've never heard of the might--"

"I've got a much better name in mind. Namely, Ero-sennin. Much more realistic, I think!"

"Um, you're not going to make this a habit, right?"

"I'm not making any promises, Ero-sennin."

"Oh, boy...Well anyway, follow me. I've got a spot where I can train you in private."

"Lead the way, then."

Half an hour later, Naruto dropped his gear on the ground where Jiraiya had led him. It was an area deep in the lush Konoha forest, in a clearing with a clear blue stream running through it. Naruto gave a whistle.

"Wow. This place isn't half bad! How'd you find out about this place, Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Finally, some respect." said Jiraiya. "I always go here, especially in the summer because there's a nearby waterfall for me to do my research, behold."

"Damn, sorry I asked, Ero-sennin."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Whatever. I'm gonna try out water walking. You tell me if I'm making any particular mistakes."

"All right, then. Go."

"Wait, let me do something first."

Naruto began removing his boots and tactical gear until he was down to his woodland camouflage boxers and his forehead protector.

"If I'm gonna get wet, I might as well leave my other clothes to dry. These boxers double as swimming trunks, anyway."

Naruto formed the ram seal and began gathering chakra to his feet. Jiraiya watched, until his face transformed into a look of awe.

"Amazing!" said Jiraiya, breaking Naruto's concentration.

"What? What is it?" asked Naruto excitedly.

"You know, you get pretty sexy when your clothes start coming off."

"Stop right there, old man, and don't come any closer. The way I was raised, the key phrase was 'Don't ask, don't tell.', and I certainly do not swing that way."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy Naruto, I mean that as a compliment! Come now, you're in so much better shape than I am, and that's saying a lot! You're only what, 12? If you went shirtless in public, you'd be beating the ladies off with a stick! Guys my age would kill to have those washboard abs, man! I mean, I'm in pretty good shape myself--"

"What shape? Round?"

"Very funny. But as I was saying, I'm in pretty good shape myself, but kid, you've got it made!"

"Mm-hmm. Now if we're done discussing physique here, I'd like to continue my training..."

"Yeah, yeah. Do your thing, kid."

Naruto formed the Ram seal once more until Chakra flowed to his feet at a steady pace. Naruto then walked off the bank and into the flowing stream. He actually got a quarter of the way across before he began having difficulty with his Chakra. Soon enough, Naruto was struggling to maintain balance, and then—splashdown. Naruto waded over to the bank and climbed out. Jiraiya had observed, and gave his analysis.

"Something seems to be messing up your Chakra flow, kid. And I think I know what it is. So, if you let me do so, I'll do something real quick, but you have to close your eyes and keep your hands above your head."

"No funny stuff?" asked Naruto, rather supicious of Jiraiya's motives.

"No funny stuff, I promise. If I don't keep my promise, I'll let you shoot me in the kneecaps with one of those weapons of yours."

"Get it over with, then."

"All right, here we go..."

Naruto locked his hands behind his head and kept his eyes shut. Jiraiya opened his palm and held his hand over Naruto's navel while he flowed chakra to his fingers. A few seconds of the Chakra exposure revealed the seal that locked Kyuubi into Naruto.

'_Hm, so this is the much-heralded seal Arashi used to lock Kyuubi away into this kid. Hell of a piece of work. One thing that bothers me though. Is this kid in front of me Arashi's son? I mean after all, what father would willingly do this to his own son? I'll have to think about that later. A few more seconds exposure should reveal anything more that I need to find... there.'_

The seal revealed further details, specifically the markings of Orochimaru's 5-point seal. Jiraiya did away with that obstruction by creating a counter to said seal, with 5 flares of chakra appearing on each of his fingers. He touched them to each of the 5-point seal's markings, which disappeared. Naruto however, was ticklish in that spot, and fell back giggling.

"You all right, kid?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yeah-- hee, hee!-- I'm just a little ticklish, everyone has a spot like that." responded Naruto, getting up.

"You feel any different?"

"A little." replied Naruto. "Feels like everything's in its right place now. It used to feel like I was missing a little extra something."

"Good. Now try water walking again."

"Ok, then. Here we go."

Naruto focused the Chakra to his feet and as soon as it was flowing properly enough, he walked out onto the flowing stream. He kept walking until he reached what he thought to be the middle of the stream and stood there for a good minute. Cautiously, he opened one eye, and then both, and then one finger at a time, released the ram seal. Another minute passed, and he was still above the water, the surface of the stream flowing around the soles of his feet. His face broke into a grin as he began running upstream and downstream on the water's surface, not sinking even a centimeter. At the discovery of the new skill, Naruto shouted for joy and made a joke to Jiraiya.

"Oi, Ero-sennin! Toss me a hat and cane! I'm goiung to start a tap-dance number right here, right now, on top of the water! I just mastered the friggin' water walk!"

"Enough showboating Naruto." retorted Jiraiya. "You've proved your point. You can water walk. Whoop-dee-do."

"Spoilsport."

"Get dressed and grab your gear. We're moving on to another lesson."

10:00 A.M.

* * *

"Damn! Another tadpole."

Naruto looked at the worm-like amphibian in front of him with disdain before sending it back to where it came from. The genin was understandably flustered; he'd signed a summoning contract about half an hour ago and got to work on the technique right away. Why wasn't he making any progress, he wondered?

_Flashback_

* * *

"_Now for our next lesson." said Jiraiya. "Tell me, kid. Are you at all familiar with summoning?"_

"_To an extent." replied Naruto. "I know how to summon from scrolls."_

"_Excellent. That means this might be a faster lesson for you, then."_

_Jiraiya then pulled the large scroll mounted on his back onto the ground._

"_First, we'll have you sign this contract."_

_Jiraiya unrolled the scroll for the Toad contract and set it down in front of Naruto. Naruto pulled out a pen, but Jiraiya shook his head._

"_Naruto, this is a blood contract. You're gonna have to bleed a little in order to sign this."_

_Sighing, Naruto pricked his thumb on the tip of his survival knife until he got a relatively controlled blood flow. He signed the contract as Jiraiya instructed him to and placed his fingerprints on the last box. It was then that a certain set of Kanji caught his attention, but before he could get a closer look at it, Jiraiya snapped the scroll shut._

"_All right kid. You're set to go. Perform the Boar, Dog, bird, Monkey, and Ram seals, in that order, and then slam your palm on the ground to summon."_

"_That's it?"_

"_That's all there is to it. Give it a try."_

_Grinning, Naruto channeled Chakra to his hands and blazed through the seals accurately. Slamming his hand down on the ground, a large bang followed by a cloud of smoke occurred._

_'Oh boy, I hope I summoned something big!' thought Naruto._

_The smoke cleared to reveal... a tadpole._

"_Huh?" said Naruto, dumbfounded. Jiraiya, meanwhile, raised his eyebrow._

"_Let me try again! I'll get a frog this time!"_

_Naruto repeated the hand seals and slammed his hand down on the ground. Another bang and smoke, and again, a tadpole. Naruto kept repeating the process since then._

* * *

_End Flashback_

Naruto was frustrated. For half an hour, he had been summoning nothing but tadpoles. Jiraiya had gotten bored, too. He had already been able to do his research, go out for some booze, and do research again. In fact, he was asleep until Naruto unleashed a great yell into the blue sky above.

"DO YOU HATE ME, KAMI-SAMA? HAVE I DONE SOMETHING WRONG? PLEASE, PLEASE! LET ME SUMMON SOMETHING OTHER THAN A TADPOLE!"

Jiraiya woke up with a start, and as he saw Naruto draw in a deep breath to yell some more, he interrupted the boy.

"Naruto, don't be so loud. Now what's the problem?"

"I can't summon anything better than a tadpole is what's the problem."

Jiraiya sat back and pondered something for a moment. After about a minute, he spoke to Naruto, who had watched him intently.

"Naruto, I've got a possible solution to your problem. However, there is one stipulation. You have to acknowledge now that you might lose your life using this process. Do you understand?"

"I do understand, Jiraiya-sensei." replied Naruto sternly. He didn't like the thought that he could die learning to summon, but if he played his cards right, he'd keep his life and still be able to summon something much greater than a tadpole.

"Good. First thing I want you to do is exhaust your current supply of Chakra as best you can."

"This is gonna be easy!" said Naruto cockily. He quickly formed a single hand seal that he'd known about for a good long while.

"TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

At the uttering of these words, the clearing suddenly filled with smoke after a loud bang. A veritable batallion of Kage Bunshins appeared in the clearing waiting for orders.

"Ten-hut!" shouted Naruto. At once, all the clones stood at attention as their creator gave them instructions.

"Listen up! In a few minutes, you all are to follow me jogging one klick upstream on the water itself. You all know the water walk by now, so I don't want any excuses. Meet me at the top of the waterfall, where you will recieve further instructions. Your orders are given. Fall in and follow me!"

Jiraiya watched with interest as the Kage Bunshins fell in behind his jogging student as they proceeded upstream. Even more surprising was the running cadences Naruto instructed them to recite.

"Marine Corps, Fighting Machine!" Naruto called out. In chorus, the Kage Bunshins sang:

"Way back when at the dawn of time,  
In the heart of Death Valley, where the sun don't shine.

The roughest, toughest fighter ever known was made,  
From an M16 and a live grenade!

He was a lean, mean, green fighting machine,  
He proudly bore the title of U.S. Marine!"

"Marine Corps, I wish all the ladies!" cried Naruto. The Kage Bunshins responded with a lewd running cadence that Jiraiya found himself chuckling at as their voices carried over the wind:

"I wish all the ladies were pies on a shelf,  
and I was a baker, so I'd eat 'em all myself!

I wish all the ladies were bricks in a pile,  
and I was a mason, I'd lay 'em all with style.

I wish all the ladies were bells in a tower,  
and I was a bell boy, I'd bang 'em ev'ry hour.

I wish all the ladies were holes in a road,  
and I was a dump truck, I'd fill 'em with my load!"

Naruto allowed himself a small smile before calling out another running cadence. "Army, Airborne Ranger!" The Kage bunshins sang:

"C-130 Rolling down the strip,  
64 Rangers on a one-way trip.

Mission Top Secret, Destination unknown,  
They don't know if they're ever coming home!

Stand-up, Hook-up, Shuffle to the door,  
Jump right out and count to four.

If my main don't open wide,  
I got a reserve by my side.

If that one should fail me too,  
Look out below, there's a Ranger comin' through!"

Naruto, noting that there was enough time for one more cadence, shouted "Blood on the risers!" The Kage Bunshin behind him sang to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic":

"_He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright  
He checked off his equipment and made sure his pack was tight;  
He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar,  
"You ain't gonna jump no more!"_

_Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more!_

_"Is everybody happy?" cried the Sergeant looking up,  
Our Hero feebly answered "Yes," and then they stood him up;  
He jumped into the icy blast, his static line unhooked,  
And he ain't gonna jump no more._

_Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more!_

_He counted long, he counted loud, he waited for the shock,  
He felt the winds, he felt the clouds, he felt the awful drop,  
He yanked the cord, the silk spilled out and wrapped around his legs,  
And he ain't gonna jump no more._

_Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more!_

_The risers wrapped around his neck, connectors cracked his dome,  
Suspension lines were tied in knots around his skinny bones;  
The canopy became his shroud; he hurtled to the ground.  
And he ain't gonna jump no more._

Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more! 

_The days he'd lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind,  
He thought about the girl back home, the one he'd left behind;  
He thought about the medicals and wondered what they'd find,  
And he ain't gonna jump no more._

_Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more!  
_

_The ambulance was on the spot, the jeeps were running wild,  
The medics jumped and screamed with glee, rolled up their sleeves and smiled,  
For it had been a week or more since last a 'chute had failed,  
And he ain't gonna jump no more._

_Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more!  
_

_He hit the ground, the sound was "Splat!," his blood went spurting high,  
His comrades then were heard to say: "A hell of a way to die!"  
He lay there rolling round in the welter of his gore,  
And he ain't gonna jump no more._

_Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more!_

Then, At a slow pace with solemn tone:

_There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the chute,  
Intestines were a'dangling from his Paratrooper suit,  
They picked him up, and they had to pour him from his boots,  
And he ain't gonna jump no more._

_Gory, gory, what a hell of way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,  
He ain't gonna jump no more!_

_They placed him in a blanket, then they laid his soul to rest,  
They notified his next of kin, his funeral was the best.  
And on his monument of stone, they scribed this little verse:_  
"_He ain't gonna jump no more!"_

At the end of the cadence, Naruto and his batallion of clones had arrived at the foot of the waterfall. Quickly, they all scaled the vertical climb with boosts from one another, quick jumping, and hand climbing. Naruto realized that he had a little more than just enough to use his ultimate method for draining chakra. He immediately called his Kage Bunshins to attention.

"Listen up! These are your new orders! Load your weapons and prepare to fight! When I say go, we will engage in an all-out battle royale with each other until there is only one of us left standing! Is that clear?"

"Sir, Yes Sir!" chorused the Kage Bunshins. Naruto got in position as they formed a large circle around him, some of them facing one another. If they would not get to fight their creator, then they would fight the guy next to them. Raising his Survival knife and his Beretta, Naruto gave the signal.

"GO!"

Immediately, Naruto saw the muzzle flash of AK-47 assault rifles erupt around him in 360 degrees of lethal fire. In a nanosecond, he leapt into the air before he could be perforated by the 7.62mm rounds and performed a backflip in midair to direct himself to one of his Kage Bunshin opponents. He landed in front of the clone, surprising it, and Naruto took advantage of this as he put his knife to the clone's throat and grabbed hold of the actively-firing Kalashnikov's barrel and held it tightly as he swung himself and his captive around in a circle, directing hot lead towards the other clones. A total of 20 clones had been dispatched (10 of the 30 rounds in the magazine had already been expended the moment Naruto began the battle), and Naruto used the empty AK-47 for leverage in order to throw his captive over his shoulder. Now liberated from its original owner, Naruto channeled enough Chakra to keep the clone's AK-47 in existence long enough to use it as a melee weapon by flinging it at a group of clones. The heavy weight of the thrown assault rifle hit the clones hard, dispelling them as well as the AK-47 out of existence. Naruto quickly moved to hold yet another one of his clones hostage while others fought the clone next to themselves. Using his M92FS, Naruto used his combat load of 16 rounds (a full 15-round magazine plus one in the chamber) to dispatch that exact number of clones before plunging his survival knife into the throat of his captive. Said captive disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Naruto got the idea to throw down a smoke grenade to confuse the clones further. When the smoke built up enough to his satisfaction, Naruto slammed a new magazine into his M92FS and jumped into the fray. The average onlooker's view was obscured by the smoke, and all one could observe were the sounds of fists hitting flesh, sporadic gunshots, then finally, screams of pain shortly before a bang, signifying the defeat of a Kage Bunshin. A sudden wind blew, and the smoke was blown away, revealing Naruto successfully holding two clones hostage, his Beretta pressed to the temple of a now-unarmed clone and his knife at the throat of another. Knowing that the clones facing him and his hostages would soon realize that they were to kill until there was only one of them left standing, Naruto shoved both clones towards their comrades, dropped his gun and knife, unslung his cocked-and-locked AK-47 and sprayed his own bullets at the clones. 5 were smart enough to take cover, The rest were slaughtered by Naruto and his drum-magazine-equipped AK-47. As Naruto ducked behind cover to reload, the remaining 5 clones advanced on him. Quickly, they cornered him behind a rock and opened fire... only to waste their rounds on a Log. One of the clones turned around and spotted Naruto making a dive for his Beretta and survival knife and alerted the others. They turned around, but by the time they raised their rifles, Naruto shot four of them in the head with his Beretta. The fifth clone suddenly reappeared behind him, and Naruto spun around and levelled his gun with the clone's face and the clone levelling His AK-47 with Naruto's head. Both simultaneously pulled the triggers and nothing happened. They had somehow both fallen on a dud round, and so they worked their guns to cycle the next round. As they did so, They each kicked the guns out of each other's hands and settled the fight with knives.

Naruto thrust his survival knife towards the clone, who parried it. Another thrust, this time towards its chest, and that one was also parried. Finally, Naruto swept the clones legs out from under itself, causing the clone to lose balance. As the clone fell, Naruto dropped his knife and swiped the clone's. Catching the clone by its neck, Naruto held the clone fast as he made three consecutive stabs: one to the chest, one to the brachial artery, and finally one in the clone's neck. Naruto clamped his hand over the clone's mouth as he made the final stab before setting it gently on the ground. Naruto went to pick up his knife, and upon picking it up, he turned around in time to see the clone cough up blood from its mouth before

disappearing. A few moments passed, and Naruto suddenly fell to the ground, panting on his hands and knees.

_'Damn, I'm seriously drained. That took a lot out of me... But that's good, because that's the first step.' _thought Naruto. Looking up, he saw Jiraiya walking towards him.

"Good job, kid." said the perverted hermit. "Now that the first part's over, follow me."

Naruto slowly got to his feet and walked with Jiraiya after quickly gathering his weapons and equipment.

"Where are we going now, Sensei?"

"The hot springs. It is important for this method that we purify our exterior as well as our interior before moving on to the next stage of this training."

"Interesting." replied Naruto, having his suspicions about their next destination. "Will meditation help?"

"Of course! But only do that if you wish."

"Of course I will! It may not look it, but when I was younger, I learned that meditation is a great way to clear the mind."

"Well, that's new. I certainly wouldn't expect that of kids your age, Naruto. You're more mature than most people might think."

"Thank you, Ero-sennin." replied Naruto.

"As for respect though, that's questionable."

A few minutes later, Jiraiya and Naruto arrived at the hot springs. While Jiraiya chose to relax in the pool of steamingly comfortable water, Naruto decided to meditate in the fashion seen in many samurai movies by meditating where the cold water entered the hot springs, namely, under a cold waterfall. He'd done this before, as he quickly began to focus. The metaphorical storm clouds in his mindscape soon cleared to reveal a blue sky. Naruto had achived tranquility, and was content to remain in that state for as long as he could. With that tranquility came images. His girlfriend getting out of the hospital far better than she had entered, the two of them spending time together, and then another one of them at some beautiful white-sanded beach, but what he found himself focusing on was Hinata, dressed in an enticing, curve-hugging two-piece swimsuit. At this, Naruto began to lose his concentration, visible on his exterior by a small drop of blood coming from his nose. His loss of concentration came at a price; his eyes snapped open and he let himself be pushed into the hot spring pool by the force of the waterfall he was under. Needless to say, it made for an interesting wake-up call. Naruto surfaced, coughing and sputtering. Jiraiya chuckled at this, and soon, it was time for them to leave.

When the two of them exited the Hot springs, Jiraiya posed a question.

"You want anything for lunch, Naruto?"

"It's ok. I've got my rations." replied the genin, pulling out the bag. Jiraiya shook his head.

"Those things can't be good for you. Let's get some better food. You like ramen?"

"Of course!"

"Let's head to Ichiraku's then."

Jiraiya and Naruto headed off to Naruto's favorite Ramen Bar. Naruto was a little impatient in trying to get there, as he hadn't had any in weeks. Soon enough, Naruto and Jiraiya arrived, and Naruto ordered up immediately. As Naruto was about to eat, he turned to Jiraiya.

"How much am I allowed to eat?"

"As much as you want, Naruto. Eat until you have no regrets."

"Awesome!" replied Naruto, splitting his chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!"

15 minutes later, the genin had downed 15 bowls of Ramen, one for every minute. With a belch and a sigh, he turned to Jiraiya.

"Ano-sa, Jiraiya-sensei, You think you can cover a little bit of the bill, I'll pay you back, I swear!"

Opening his eyes, he found out that Jiraiya wasn't even there, with a frog plushie in his place.

"Crap. There goes half my paycheck."

Naruto paid the entire bill and dashed out of Ichiraku Ramen looking for his teacher. It took about 10 minutes of systematic sweeping before he found Jiraiya waiting in an alley.

"I figured you'd pull that stunt on me. You could have at least chipped in, Ero-sennin."

"Feh, with the way you eat, I would've been flat broke!"

"I would've paid you back!"

"Ah, forget it. Anyway, is there anything more you'd like to do?"

"Not that I can think of."

"C'mon, surely, there's something. Maybe a girl you like?"

"Well, um, now that you mention it..." trailed off Naruto, thinking of Hinata.

"Go on." encouraged Jiraiya.

"I think my girlfriend's going to be out of the hospital today! But..."

"But what?"

"I don't know if I can face her..."

"Why not?"

Naruto sighed, then explained the story of what happened in the Chunin exams. At the end of it, Jiraiya spoke after gathering his thoughts.

"Naruto, if it's one thing that I can say to you, it's that a truly loyal girlfriend has the heart to forgive you and love you no matter what, provided you don't do anything really bad. Don't get torn up over it, you did what you could. I'm sure she'll forgive you. I'm sure she needs your love and affection as well." said Jiraiya sagely.

"You think so?" asked Naruto, filled with hope.

"I know so. Now come on, let's go see her."

"Way ahead of you, Ero-sennin!" said Naruto, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake as he sprinted towards the hospital.

"Stop calling me that!" shouted Jiraiya, trying to catch up.

Minutes later, the two arrived at the hospital, Naruto having stopped along the way to buy a bouquet of Red Roses and Lavender Flowers which he hid on his person. As they reached the front door, Hinata and Kurenai steeped out of the hospital and Naruto called to his girlfriend.

"Hinata-chan!" called Naruto, jogging up to Hinata and her sensei.

"Naruto-kun!"

The two immediately hugged each other, Naruto being careful not to aggravate any injuries. Naruto then backed off, seeing a smile on Hinata's face.

"Ne, Hinata-chan, I have something for you." said Naruto mischeivously. "Nothing up my sleeve..." said the genin. Then, with a wave of his hand, Naruto produced the large bouquet of flowers and gave it to a surprised Hinata.

"Oh, Naruto-kun! They're beautiful! I especially appreciate the lavender flowers in the center. Nice touch."

"That's because they match your beautiful eyes, Hinata-chan."

At this, Hinata blushed a new shade of crimson. Jiraiya watched the scene with a smirk.

_'Gee, Naruto laying on the charm a little thick, aren't we? And while you're at it, maybe remove the cheese?'_ thought the amused pervert. Then, he was more than a little surprised to see Naruto sweep his girlfriend off her feet and kiss her deeply and with far more vigor than she had ever felt. The kiss lasted but 2 seconds, but she was already lightheaded. Was it love, or lack of oxygen? Only the smile on Hinata's face and the resulting blush could confirm anything as the two bid each other a good dayNaruto joined up with Jiraiya and the two were on their way back to their improvised training ground. Meanwhile, Kurenai smiled and shook her head as Hinata walked alongside her with a heavy blush and a smile on her face.

Jiraiya and Naruto stopped at the entrance to the forest. Jiraiya then turned to Naruto and asked him a question.

"So, aside from that not-so-subtle public display of affection, are you satisfied with what you've done today?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Good."

In one swift motion, Jiraiya knocked out Naruto with a backhand fist to the head. He then set to the task of carrying the genin over his shoulder, weapons and all, to his planned location.

When Naruto came to, he found that his hands were tied behind his back and the second thing he noticed was that he was stripped of most of his wepaons, though he could still feel the holdout pistol in his right arm. It was then that he heard the click of a pistol hammer being cocked and then Jiraiya's voice.

"Get up."

Naruto slowly got to his feet and then faced Jiraiya. The Perverted Sannin had Naruto's Beretta in hand, and it was certainly loaded.

"Jiraiya-sensei, what's going on? Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'll be honest with you, Naruto. This small process we just went through is to prepare you to face death. This training method was designed to rid you of your normal Chakra--"

"--and then put me in a life-threatening situation or a high-emotion situation forcing me to use Kyuubi's Chakra, right?" Naruto finished.

"Give the man a cigar." said Jiraiya.

"But Kyuubi's been cut off from me because of that Orochimaru wacko! How could I possibly contact him?"

"You'll find a way, especially when your life is at risk."

"So what are you going to do, shoot me? You've never handled a gun in your life until now!"

"Not necessarily. I can always shove you into that big-ass chasm behind you. And I've worked this enough times while you were knocked out to know what it can do."

Naruto looked behind him to see if Jiraiya was bluffing, and the man clearly was not. Before him was a large chasm that went so far down, it was impossible to see just how deep it was.

"So what do you want me to do?" Naruto asked, not taking his eyes off the chasm.

"Simple." said Jiraiya. "I will push you into the chasm, and you will perform the summoning technique. It's a gamble, yes, but you will use it to save you. The Kyuubi's chakra makes anything more powerful. Now march to the edge, boy."

Naruto did as he was told, but he formulated a plan that would allow him to turn the tables on his sensei.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I think I'll need my hands free if I'm going to summon, yeah?"

"No harm in untying you, then." said Jiraiya. The moment he untied Naruto's hands, the genin whipped around and a Colt .25 Auto pocket model shot out of his sleeve and into his right hand from a forearm holster.

"Gotcha now, old man--"

Naruto never got to finish his sentence as he was nudged by the muzzle of the Beretta back-first into the chasm. As he fell, he fired the .25 Auto while cursing his sensei.

"DAMN YOU ERO-SENNIN!" shouted Naruto as he fired the .25 Auto uselessly. Somehow, he managed to run out of bullets before the darkness of the chasm enveloped him...

- - - - - - - - -

To Be continued...

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you all for being more than patient with me! Seeing as this chapter was so long, here's a bone I'll throw you. In the immortal words of John Cleese, "And now, for something completely different."

* * *

OMAKE: I didn't know the Hyuuga males were that perverted...

Naruto was walking back to Uzumaki Mansion when he spotted Kakashi, Jiraiya, Kyle, Ryan, and Ike all together at a table in a local snack bar. Strangely enough, at the center of this perverted motley crew was Neji. Naruto found this to be a strange occurrence, and was about to keep going when a particular sentence caught his attention and he listened in.

"Come now, Neji. You mean to tell me that not once have you used your Byakugan to check out the lovely honies at the Bathhouse?" asked Jiraiya.

"I don't think Hyuuga clan members in general are really that perverted, Jiraiya-san." said Ike.

"Exactly." said Neji. "I'm not some cowardly peeping tom!"

"Christ, sorry I even asked, Mr. I-have-no-sex-drive." said Jiraiya in disappointment.

"Please, you wouldn't even know for sure if the airbags are natural unless you touch them." said Neji smugly.

"Wait, what?" chorused the men at the table, and Naruto mouthing the phrase as he hid behind the wall.

"The males of the Hyuuga clan have techniques that far surpass your primitive peeping, Jiraiya-sama." said Neji. "The gentle fist style alone allows people like me to grope a girl in any place 64 times in the space of 15 seconds."

"Whoa." chorused the perverted crew. Even Naruto was impressed, but mentally slapped himself. _'Damn, and I thought Ero-sennin was bad.'_

Suddenly, the snack bar's doors opened and Hyuuga Hiashi himself (Woo! Alliteration!) walked in, looking for Neji.

"Neji, I would appreciate it if you came with me. I've mastered the 128-palm combo, and we need to take it for a test-run. Have Kurenai-san, Anko-san, and all the rookie 12's Kunoichi assemble for a 'training session' at the waterfall in the forest. Oh, and your friends are all welcome to come along as well."

- - - - - - - - -

About an hour later, the formerly-dignified Uncle and nephew duo of Hiashi and Neji could be seen sprinting for their lives in the streets of Konoha with little more than their boxers to cover their modesty. They each sported a black eye and a red handprint on either cheek. About 50 yards behind the two and closing in were none other than an enraged Uzumaki Naruto with a cocked and locked Hellfire Fox .454 Casull and an equally-enraged Uchiha Sasuke with a Saiga-12 Automatic Shotgun chasing the two Hyuuga men.

"NEJI, YOU BASTARD! YOU CROSSED THE LINE WHEN YOU GROPED MY GIRLFRIEND, AND NOW, I'M GONNA KILL YOU! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, HYUUGA NEJI!" shouted the Uchiha.

"HIASHI, HOW DARE YOU GROPE MY GIRLFRIEND! I CAN'T BELIEVE A FATHER WOULD DO THAT, AND TO HIS OWN DAUGHTER, NONETHELESS! WHAT KIND OF SCOUNDREL ARE YOU?!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto was aiming for Hiashi's legs in order to stop the Hyuuga clan head in his tracks when he caught a whiff of cigarette smoke to his left.

"Even if he is a Hyuuga, he's not gonna get away with touching my lovely Kurenai-chan so inappropriately." said a gruff and angered voice. Naruto glanced left quickly to see Asuma running at full speed, his sharp trench knives out and ready to slash open some arteries. Another person appeared to Sasuke's right, this one more easily recognizable by a pink Chinese-style shirt and two mouse-like buns, and with a more feminine figure.

"Ooh, that Neji! He's gonna pay for getting fresh with me!" said Tenten, drawing a Kunai.

"Hey, Tenten." said Sasuke, staying focused on their target. "Are Mitsuko-chan and the others all right? How are they doing?"

"They're all seething with rage except for Hinata. She was downright traumatized and she fainted."

"I better double-time it then." said Naruto, readying a shot to use Hiraishin no jutsu with when Tenten cautioned against it.

"Naruto, us women can defend our honor on our own. I could've sworn the others had an evil glint in their eyes when Mitsuko mentioned something about setting up an ambush."

"Should I slow down?"

"By all means! They're headed into the target zone right now!"

Sure enough, the Uncle and Nephew soon found themselves dangling by their ankles as well as targets of baseball bats, two-by-four planks, and rubber bullets.

* * *

You know what? I realized how long it's been... Have a bonus Omake, on the house!

* * *

OMAKE: Flowers 

Naruto asked Hinata to wait as he pulled out another bouquet of flowers.

"Here Hinata-chan! These are for you." said Naruto, presenting a bouquet of violets to Hinata.

For a few seconds, Hinata looked at Naruto in shock, turning to Kurenai, she conferred with her sensei before she spoke aloud, "Ah, he might not know."

Naruto looked up. "What might I not know?"

Hinata took the bouquet from Naruto. "They're very pretty violets, Naruto. However, flowers like these are usually reserved for funerals. Are you trying to say something, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto immediately paled. "Wait! No! I swear I didn't know that! I'm not an expert when it comes to flowers! I just chose them because they remind me of your hair! I'm so sorry! I really didn't know!"

Naruto fell to his knees, head in his hands. Hinata went over to him and gave him a hug and a pat on the back.

"There, there, Naruto-kun. It's ok, I know you meant well, and it's the thought that counts. I'm sure you'll be better informed next time."

The two shortly went their separate ways and once Hinata and Kurenai were out of earshot, Jiraiya leaned over to Naruto.

"Nice save, kid."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Hope it was all enjoyable to you! Please review! Also, plese note that this chapter may be edited and reposted, so keep an eye out. Also be sure to stay tuned for part 2 of chapter 10! 


	11. A month's training part 2

Konoha Marksman Chapter 11: A Month's Training Part 2

Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Viz Media. All other copyrights herein belong to their respective owners.

A/N: It has come to my attention that I have a few anachronisms in the story. As such, I have revised the timeline while still keeping the characters the same age. You will see the change of when the story starts in the revised first chapter, in which the start time of the story has been moved from 1996 to 1998, as well as in the fifth chapter in terms of the born-died date (originally 1991-2003; revised to read 1992-2005) on the Team 7 memorial.

----------------

Jiraiya turned away from the chasm and looked to the sky. _'Forgive me, Arashi. But the boy needs to awaken his powers.'_

Then, Jiraiya pointed the Beretta at a tree and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Looking closely, he realized he made the error of not taking off the safety.

"Whoops." he said aloud. "That standoff might've left me injured, or worse. Should've checked the safety, heh heh."

As Naruto plummeted to his potential death, he made a last-ditch effort to contact Kyuubi.

_'Now or never again...'_ thought the genin as he closed his eyes. Going into his mind, he spotted the door to where Kyuubi resided. Turning the knob, he noticed it was unlocked and proceeded inside.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kyuubi made a few more turns on the Rubik's cube, and it was finally solved, all sides the same color in each square. Just then, Naruto came in.

"Oh hey, Naruto!" said Kyuubi, surprised. "Check it out! I solved my Rubik's cube!"

"Ok, that's great." Naruto replied flatly. "But we've got more pressing issues at hand right now."

"Such as?"

"Well, there's the fact that I'm accelerating towards terminal velocity as I am falling headfirst into a chasm as we speak."

"What?" asked Kyuubi, blinking.

"A chasm. You know, hundreds of feet deep, lined with pointed and jagged rocks. A chasm!"

"..."

Kyuubi stood speechless for a moment. Then...

"YOU IDIOT! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? I'M ON YOUR SIDE, GODDAMN IT! HOW THE HELL DID YOU END UP IN THE CHASM, ANYWAY? I THOUGHT YOU NEVER LET ANYONE CATCH YOU OFF GUARD?"

"It wasn't my fault!" replied Naruto hotly. "That old pervert had a gun to my head, and I could've nailed him, but he nudged me in with my own Beretta!"

"That's even worse..." groaned Kyuubi.

"No time to groan about it now!" said Naruto hurriedly. "If you don't want to die, you will give or at the very least lend me your Chakra so that I can summon a rescuing toad!"

"You could've just asked. No need to make threats." said Kyuubi.

"How was I supposed to know we could talk to each other again?"

"You have a point. Anyway, when this is all over, apply for life insurance."

"From which company? The one with the Gecko?"

"No, That's for car insurance. Try the one with the duck, or Snoopy, or the one with the blue box. I prefer the duck, personally. He's got chutzpah. And he's probably very tasty!"

"Ahem, your Chakra, please?"

"Right, right, right. Here you go. Now don't get us killed."

"You think I don't know that?"

* * *

Naruto closed his eyes as Kyuubi's Chakra engulfed his being. Opening his eyes again, he stared into the depths of the chasm he was falling into as he bit his thumb and raced through the seals for the Summoning Technique.

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!"

A deafening explosion was heard as a cloud of smoke filled the chasm and Naruto violently landed on something soft, damp, and bouncy. Naruto opened his eyes and looked below him. He saw what seemed to be a giant amphibian below him with orange skin, a jacket/robe and four...webbed...feet...

_'Four webbed feet?'_ thought Naruto. _'Does that mean...'_

Naruto crawled over to the rear end of the amphibian and was overjoyed to see a lack of tail.

"YEAH! I SUMMONED A FROG! NO, A TOAD! A TOAD BOSS EVEN!" shouted Naruto. _Oh god, it's gigantic! _

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" boomed a big voice from below Naruto. "WHAT JACKASS DECIDED TO SUMMON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A DAMNED CHASM? JIRAIYA, YOU BETTER BE READY TO EXPLAIN YOUR SORRY ASS!"

"Um, excuse me, sir? May I ask your name?"

The toad then flicked its head forward, causing Naruto to tumble forward onto his nose.

"WHAT THE? A KID? AH, TO HELL WITH IT. I'M GAMABUNTA, THE TOAD BOSS, BRAT. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, sir! Konohagakure Genin and former Staff Sergeant in Blackwater USA! I have previous experience in Special Forces training and am ready to do as asked!"

"Hmm, So you're a military man, are you?" said Gamabunta. "By the way, your name sounds familiar. You wouldn't be related to Uzumaki Arashi by any chance, would you?"

"Actually yes, Gamabunta-san. I'm his son."

"...Well, I'll be damned. I thought you died or something during the whole incident with the Kyuubi. Anyhow, Let's see if you can live up to your father's reputation. If by the end of the day I still haven't shaken you off, then you're worthy of being my subordinate."

"I'll hold you to that, and hold myself to you."

"What's that supposed to mean? Hey!"

Naruto ignored Gamabunta as he strapped himself down with two rolls worth of duct tape plus Velcro and kept his hands free to reach any equipment he had with him.

"Bring it on then, toad boss."

"Cocky, just like your old man. I'll have you hurling worse than he did when I did this same test. Alley-oop!"

Gamabunta leapt out of the chasm at insane velocities that pressed Naruto into the toad boss' skin as they were soon met with blue sky.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya had heard the shouts of outrage from the chasm and took that as his cue to leave with Naruto's weapons. If he lingered any longer, things could turn ugly very fast.

_'Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man! I better get the hell out of here before Gamabunta finds me!' _thought the perverted sannin as he scrambled to grab Naruto's AK-47 and ammunition. _'If they see me, I'm finished! Gamabunta will probably squish me and Naruto will probably hang my corpse from a clothesline and perforate me with his machine gun! Gotta run!'_

Using a teleportation jutsu, Jiraiya poofed out of the area just as Gamabunta landed where he was just as second ago.

"Hmm, looks like he ran away." the toad boss thought aloud.

"What now then, Gamabunta-sama?" asked Naruto.

"Don't call me that just yet, kid. We've got a long while before I even make my decision. Time for us to fly!"

Gamabunta then jumped into the air, beginning 5 hours of continuous attempts to unseat Naruto from his back

* * *

HOUR ONE 

"Feel like going for a swim, kid?" asked Gamabunta.

"Do I have a choice?" asked Naruto. "I'd rather not get my clothes waterlogged."

"No, you do not have any say." replied the toad boss. Immediately, he leapt into the air again and cannonballed into a huge lake, sending water droplets into the air. Said droplets formed a rainbow at Jiraiya's favorite research spot, the waterfall, where there was a small group of bikini-clad girls enjoying the water and cooed in awe when they saw the rainbow.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" said one girl.

"Isn't it? That's what happens when natural light shines through water droplets. The water breaks up the light, making it a rainbow." Jiraiya responded, looking as innocent as possible. The girls responded in a friendly manner.

"Wow, sir! Who knew you were so knowledgeable?"

"When you're Jiraiya the Toad Sage, the secrets of the world are unlocked to you!"

At this, the girls looked at each other and then realized who they were just talking to.

"OHMYGOD!" they squealed in unison "IT'S JIRAIYA-SAMA! WE'RE GREAT FANS OF ICHA-ICHA PARADISE! JIRAIYA-SAMA, PLEASE COME DOWN HERE AND SIGN OUR NOVELS!"

_'Heh heh.'_ thought Jiraiya. _'I still got it.'_

* * *

HOUR TWO

"Getting tired, Naruto?"

"Nope."

"Neither am I, then."

Gamabunta made yet another lap of leaping around the Konoha Forest. Meanwhile, Jiraiya was laughing and talking with the bikini girls (now each sporting a promotional shirt for Icha Icha Paradise) about some of his past escapades.

"...so this one time, I was a regular at this one bar, and there was one point when a guy came in and asked for Cranberry juice. He did this for two days striaght, and each time it's, 'You got any Cranberry juice?' and each time, the bartender replies, 'No.' The third day, the guy asked again, and this time, the bartender says, 'Look, pal. You come in here tomorrow and ask for effing Cranberry juice again, I'll drive two rusty nails into your arse.' So the fourth day, the guy comes in and asks for nails. The bartender says he doesn't have any, and so the guy goes, 'That's ok. I'll have Cranberry juice.' The bartender gets so pissed, he leaps over the bar, and chases the oddball out of the door, and the irony is, once they were out the door, both of them ran smack dab into a cart carrying Cranberries! Fresh from the bog, too!"

At this, they all laughed while Naruto and Gamabunta duked it out.

* * *

HOUR FIVE

"3...2...1." said Gamabunta, counting down the seconds left to the ordeal. He then landed and stopped moving, but Naruto was used to the up and down momvement so much that he felt his insides bobbing up and down before he realized that the ordeal was over.

"All right, Naruto. You did well. You can untie yourself now."

"Hang on, I'm trying to reorient myself. Ok, I'm good."

Naruto reached for one end of the duct tape and carefully tore away at it, not wanting to offend Gamabunta by taking off a few skin cells. Slowly, Naruto reached the ground on unsteady legs and stood in front of the toad boss.

"All right kid." boomed Gamabunta. "You pass the test, considering your...'creative' way of staying on my back. We'll have a drink together sometime to seal the deal, yeah?"

"I'm not really of age to do so in a bar, but yeah, why not?"

"Ha! Excellent! I'll go find Jiraiya now. I have business to settle with him."

"Take care, Gamabunta-sama."

"Same to you."

With that, the toad boss leapt off in search of a certain Perverted Hermit. Naruto waited a moment, and then ran to the nearest bush as he threw up his Ramen lunch from before. Shortly after, he passed out.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya bid his female fans a good day and they had gotten out of sight just as Gamabunta landed in front of Jiraiya. Immediately, Jiraiya threw open the scroll on his back.

"Now before you squash me, 'Bunta, I'll have you know that it wasn't me who summoned you. It was Naruto, as he has his name on the contract and--"

"I know this already, Jiraiya." replied Gamabunta. "But do you know that Naruto is Arashi's kid?"

"Wha?!"

"So you don't know. Well, this is amusing."

"Care to elaborate?" said a confused Jiraiya.

"I was talking with the boy while going through our little ordeal. He told me a good amount of his life's story as a result, and I almost dozed off when he told me that one of the first things he learned upon his return to Konoha was that DNA evidence proved he was the direct descendant of your student. You'll have to ask Sarutobi, of course."

"Ah... so I see." said Jiraiya. In two seconds, he fainted. This was just too much for him to take in. Gamabunta shook his head and poofed away, leaving both the Perverted hermit and his student passed out in the Konoha forest.

* * *

TWO HOURS LATER...

Naruto was going through an interesting experience.

First, he was beginning to hear things. Good. At least he wasn't deaf.

Next, everything was dark, though he could see a little bit of light coming in through his eyelids. At least he wasn't dead.

Third, he was beginning to smell things well, a trait Kyuubi's sealing into his person had bestowed upon him.

_'Let's see...'_ thought Naruto. _'Where am I? Hmm... rubbing alcohol, plastic, antiseptic... smelling salts?! Yuck! Wait a minute... I must be at the hospital.'_

Naruto opened his eyes, and groaned as a flood of light singed his irises. He forgot just how damn bright those flourescent lights were.

"Oh, good, he lives." said a voice. Naruto turned to his left and shielded his eyes. When they adjusted to the light, he could make out his three housemates, Kyle, Ryan, and Ike, and then his teacher, Jiraiya.

"Ugh. Hey, guys." said Naruto. "How'd I end up here?"

"We had to go out and search for you using the Hinds. We were pretty worried when you didn't get back for dinner." replied Ryan. "We found your instructor out by the waterfall, just as he was coming to." he added, pointing to Jiraiya.

"Ok, Naruto. Gamabunta told me what you said to him." said Jiraiya, now stepping in. "Now that I know for sure thanks to old man Sarutobi, you don't have to do what you said you would. In a way, I feel sort of obligated to train you."

"Nonsense." replied Naruto, smirking. "I intend to hold up my end of the bargain. After all, someone has to keep you away from the bathhouses. Kyle, You know that stash of, erm, 'Hey-hey' you guys bought me? Give it to my teacher. He has more use for it than I do."

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Kyle, knowing what the genin was talking about. "No sane man would willingly let go of a limited edition collection full of Kobe Tai and Jenna Jameson films! Are you crazy?"

"Don't question my judgement. Just do as I say, I promised Jiraiya-sensei I'd pay him in porn-- Dammit! You see what you made me do?"

"Oh, so that's how it is. Fine. Your loss, Naruto." finished Kyle, shrugging his shoulders. He then left the room, Jiraiya talking to Naruto next.

"Looks like you managed to get summoning down properly, kid." said the toad sage. "Tomorrow, we start on something new. Kakashi tells me you need to learn Hiraishin no Jutsu."

"But I thought I already learned that!" replied Naruto, dumbfounded.

"What, your Hiraishin Tama no Jutsu? That's sort of like it, but what you created is more like Shunshin no Jutsu than Hiraishin."

"What's the difference?" asked Ryan.

"Shunshin is a form of teleporation jutsu." explained Jiraiya. "With Hiraishin, the user actually summons themselves to the location using a seal imprinted on a special kunai. Hiraishin was the technique Naruto's birth father was both famous and infamous for."

"So all this time, I've just been using a modified version of Shunshin?" asked Naruto.

"Essentially, yes." replied the Toad Sage.

"Speaking of training," interrupted Ryan. "you're cleared to do Night Fast-Roping practice tomorrow, so just let us know."

"All right then." said Naruto. "I'll split the training into two parts. The first half of the day, I train with Jiraiya-sensei to perfect Hiraishin no Jutsu. Then at night, I'll do fast roping practice from the Hinds in order to find the line between speed and control as well as determination and insanity and stay on it."

"Good to hear that." said Jiraiya. "Now get plenty of rest, because I'm running you into the ground tomorrow. Oh, and if I were you, I'd bring a crash helmet with face guard. It's gonna be difficult."

"If you say so..." said Naruto, yawning. Shortly, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto awoke and quickly changed from his hospital gown to his normal outfit before heading home for breakfast. A bowl of cereal later, he brought his Pro-tec Fast-rope helmet with him as he went off to Jiraiya's designated meeting spot.

"Good morning, Naruto!" greeted Jiraiya. "Ready to get started?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." replied the Genin.

"All right then, sit down. Now the first thing about Hiraishin is that it essentially summons you..."

About half an hour later, Jiraiya finished explaining the factors behind Hiraishin no Jutsu and Naruto was about to go for his first try. Cinching the chin strap on his helmet, he threw his Kunai into the air and waited 5 seconds before creating the one-handed seal that activated the technique. Suddenly, a flash of light enveloped his immediate area, and he felt himself violently thrown forward and away from the Hiraishin Kunai right into a tree. Naruto fell off the tree onto the ground, landing in an undignified heap.

"That probably would have hurt a lot more without the helmet." said the genin to himself as he rose and shook his head. Plucking the Kunai out of the ground, he took a deep breath. After tossing the Kunai up and away, he waited a few seconds before using a one-handed seal to activate the jutsu.

* * *

5 Hours later...

"You might want to replace that helmet, Naruto." said Jiraiya.

"Yeah, that's looking like a good idea right about now." replied Naruto. The teacher and student both gazed at the debris in the genin's hands that used to be a Pro-tec helmet. All that remained was a mangled and split pile of plastic and hard styrofoam. Amazingly, that pile is what saved Naruto from a concussion several times during the course of the day. At this point, however, training was over for the day, at least with Jiraiya. Nightfall was quickly approaching, and Naruto could not wait to practice fast roping in near-total darkness without night vision aid. As suicidal as it sounded, Naruto felt that one needs to have a few screws loose in order to further potential. Bidding his insttructor a good day, he pulled out a scroll to summon his dirtbike, and wasted no time in gunning the throttle as he sped off towards Hokage mountain, the lights of the village growing brighter with each minute the sky became darker.

* * *

"Ten seconds to target! Stand by, Naruto!" shouted Ryan over the Hind D's intercom. Naruto nodded, leaning his rear end out the open door as he held on to the rope, which was the only thing keeping him from falling out of the helicopter.

"3...2...1...Green light! Go! Go! Go!"

The cabin of the Hind D was suddenly awash in a bright emerald green glow as Naruto pushed off of the Helicopter floor's edge with his legs and plummeted to the darknes of the Konoha forest below him. His sight temporarily rendered useless by the change in light level from low to nothing at all, the genin relied on his other senses as he went as fast as safely possible down the thick rope--which was 40 mm in diameter—to the forest floor below. The moment his eyes adjusted however, he managed to accelerate quickly enough to violently burst through the treeline before digging in the insides of his feet to brake hard as he hit the forest floor with a thump. The hovering attack/transport chopper above him dropped the thick rope and he moved out of the way as the rope coiled up with a thump. The Hind flew away momentarily, and then descended to land in a nearby clearing and shut down its engines for a few minutes while Naruto hustled the heavy coil of rope back to the LZ. As soon as he reached the waiting helicopter, Ryan reattached the rope to the fast rope mount while Naruto climbed aboard and checked his stopwatch which had a connection to a sensor in his boot. The readout displayed that it took him about 17 seconds to descend to the ground.

"Nuts." Said Naruto to himself. "Guys, let's go up again. That wasn't fast enough for me."

"We'll go as many times as you need to, but we only have so much fuel and time before we have to RTB." Replied Kyle from the Pilot's seat.

"Understood. Start it up and let's fly."

"You got it."

And so, Naruto went up for one run after another, until he hit a wall of 12 seconds of fast roping to the ground. By then, it was time to eat, and the fuel on the Hind was getting low. The group flew back to the base, and Naruto went off to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner before heading home for a good night's rest.

* * *

Days passed, with Naruto increasing his proficiency with Hiraishin No Jutsu, sometimes in small steps, sometimes in large leaps, and even getting the chance to practice his own unique Jutsu that was a secret to anyone but him, but not getting much less than ten seconds transit time in a fast rope deployment. Then one day, Naruto was practicing his fast roping when he lost his grip for a split second. That loss of grip sent him hurtling toward the ground, and on instinct, he channeled chakra to his hand in order to slow his descent and regain hold of the rope without burning his hands. Then it hit him. Using Chakra control, he could easily make lightning-quick one-handed fast rope descents without using his feet to brake! He tried this again and again and much to his delight, he managed to do a fast rope descent in 4.5 seconds, which could vary depending on the hover height. With that wall out of the way, he was able to get spot-on Hiraishin teleportation thanks to his unintentional Chakra control excercise. The days flew by, and soon, it was the last night before the Chunin exams. Naruto took it upon himself to put in a couple hours of range time against a pack of silhouette targets. While he put many holes in these targets, it ended up making him think of one thing: revenge. He didn't care who Neji was, one does not try to kill family out of anger.

_'Neji crossed the line during the preliminaries.' _thought Naruto. _'I'm going to make him pay dearly for that indescretion.'_

As Naruto reloaded his Beretta, he saw an image of Neji's smug face overlaid on his target for a second. That was all it took for Naruto to pop the slide on the Beretta and empty all 15 rounds into the head area of the target. His anger refusing to go away, he brought out the Hellfire Fox .454 and proceeded to blow the target to oblivion, until all that remained was anything below the neck area. Sighing, Naruto safed and unloaded his weapons before returning them to the armory. He went to bed with a dilemma: Kill Neji outright, or simply cripple him for life?

* * *

Meanwhile, at Kikyo Castle, Gaara was watching the moon, something he was used to doing since it used to be something that would calm him down and keep himself from going berserk. Suddenly, he heard movement behind him and slowly turned around, not in a hurry. He was a little surprised to see Tsurugi staring at him.

"So you're Sabaku no Gaara, eh?" said . "You don't look all that tough."

"I could say the same for you, Four-eyes.

"Let's settle this arguement right now, then."

Without warning, Tsurugi extended his arms and wrapped them around Gaara's neck. He squeezed tightly, until he heard the sound of bones cracking as Gaara fell limp between his arms.

"Just as I thought. All Hype."

"Really?"

Tsurugi looked up to see Gaara standing further from him, unharmed, while the body between his arms turned to sand and pooled around his feet.

"Now it's my turn." said Gaara, not moving a muscle. The sand around Tsurugi's feet leapt up his body and restrained his arms and legs as Gaara conjured up a spike made out of pure sand. he leveled his hand at Tsurugi, then clenched his fist. The spike cut through the air at well over 600 feet per second before it entered Tsurugi's chest, lanced his heart, and punched through his back. In a matter of seconds, Tsurugi went limp.

"Glad that's over." sighed Gaara, shoving the body off of the roof.

**"That was impressive."** said Shukaku.

'Shukaku? What do you want?' communicated Gaara in return.

**"I want to make you an offer, Gaara. I wish to work with you. consider it a partnership, if you must."**

'What are your terms?'

**"Offer me even just a little bit of control over your body, and you will gain power far greater than you ever imagined. I will not torment you, so that means you will still be able to sleep."**

'As tempted as I am by your offer, I'm not entirely sure what to do. I owe Uzumaki Naruto for helping me regain my sanity. What makes you think I'm just going to let you exploit your control over me so that you can undo what trust I've managed to build? I still have some sense of honor, you know.'

**"Well now, seeing as it's going to be difficult to convince you otherwise, I've come up with a solution. I will give you a chance to decide during the Finals tomorrow. I will give you a sampling of that power, and you tell me if you want it or not. do we have a deal?"**

'Sure.'

* * *

Meanwhile, on a rooftop not too far away, Jounin Gekkou Hayate had recieved another arm wound from Baki's sword. Hayate countered by knocking away said sword and then pointing his katana at his opponent's throat. 

"That's enough of that." said Hayate. "This fight's over."

"No it isn't. Eat my Kaze no Yaiba! (Wind Blade)" replied Baki, gripping a seemingly invisible sword. Hayate's eyes widened. the sword, made out of Wind chakra, came down on his collarbone before he could react. However, just as it reached the top of his body armor, it got stuck.

"What the--"

BOOM

A cloud of smoked enveloped Hayate completely, and when it disappated, it was gone.

"The hell was that?" asked Baki to himself. glancing on the ground, he saw what appaered to be the remnants of a one-time-use summoning scroll.

"Damn. He got away."

* * *

Hayate reappeared on the doorstep of his girlfriend Yuugao's apartment. Weakened by his battle, he managed to ring the doorbell before flopping to the ground just as Yuugao opened the door. As soon as she saw his wounds and the cut in his vest, she quickly brought him inside and put him gently down on the couch. she removed the vest to find that only his arms, not his torso, had been cut if at all, and a quick diagnosis showed signs of Chakra exhaustion. Examining her boyfriend's Jounin vest, she noted the cut in the fabric exposed the ceramic disks under it, all of them individually marked Dragon Skin. Yuugao smiled, remembering the day Naruto showed up with a large order of these vests. They had been custom designed to react to a sword battle in addition to gun battles to teleport the endangered wearer to a safe place.

"That kid's all right." said Yuugao under her breath.

To be continued...

* * *

Hope you all liked that! Please review and tell me if anything needs to be fixed! 


	12. Chunin Exam Finals: Revenge and Invasion

Konoha Marksman Chapter 12: Chunin Exam Finals: Revenge and Invasion

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Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Viz Media. All trademarks herein are properties of their respective owners. I only own Plot and the original characters herein.

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**Vietnam, 1968**

**2km outside Khe Sanh**

Naruto opened his senses to the whiff of gunpowder and smoke, the steady thp-thp-thp of helicopter, rumbling explosions, machine gun fire, and the sight of a blue sky and brown water of Northern Vietnam. Around him sat stone-faced U.S. Army troops, apparently ready for touchdown in an LZ. Some were smoking, some praying, and some joking. All of them were using standard-issue equipment, and Naruto looked in his lap to see an M16A1 Assault rifle with black tape on the stock. He began to pale. These weapons were notorious for jamming, like it or not, and considering that they were enter a combat zone -- Vietnam, nonetheless -- he felt something he had not felt in combat for years: leg-trembling, unadulterated terror. Gripping his M16, he heard the pilot of the helicopter shout that they were 5 minutes out from their target, and when he looked around again, all the troops suddenly appeared to be his age and carrying Super Soakers as rifles and Water Balloons for grenades. Turning his eyes to his lap, he noted that he, too, was now holding a Super Soaker. Naruto knew something was very wrong and weird. To confirm that, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" was playing out of nowhere as Tracer rounds began whizzing by them.

"_Some folks are born, made to wave the flag,_

_Ooh, these folks are red, white and blue._

_And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",_

_Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,_

_It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son._

_It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no!"_

The song probably would have continued if it hadn't been abruptly been drowned out by small arms fire hitting the body of the chopper. Around him, the other "troops" started getting antsy, some even completely losing it and falling into a panic. Utter chaos was breaking out as a soldier nearer the pilot was yelling in a pre-pubescent voice for the latter to get them down on the ground as fast as possible.

Just then, something overhead -- or was it behind? -- went _KA-TANK_ and several warning lights lit up on the chopper's instrument panel. The world outside the copter began to spin, everything beginning to blur into green and brown and white...

_------------------------------------------------------_

Naruto's eyes shot open with a start. Alright, so it was all a dream. After all, who would go into a live-fire war zone with a Super Soaker and Water Balloons? Narrowing his eyes, he saw that it was his alarm clock playing "Fortunate Son." "Right...5:30," Naruto said to himself, and then reached over to reset the alarm. Getting out of bed, he did some calisthenics because he wasn't going to have enough time to devote to a morning jog today. When he finally worked up a sweat, he showered and went and down to breakfast, alone since his roommates were already at work. After a light breakfast, it was time for Naruto to get down to business. He opened up the armory, pulled out a blank scroll, and created his starting lineup of weapons and began making final cleanings and test firings to make sure that they would work before sealing them into the scrolls. He then smiled to himself.

'_I think I'm going to try that new jutsu I've been working on, today..._'

**'Just remember that you'll need my help in order to pull it off. You might have large reserves of Chakra on your own, but this still consumes a lot of it.' **Kyuubi advised.

'I'll keep that in mind.' replied Naruto. With that conversation ended, Naruto closed the front door behind him as he decided to walk to town this time. While he was at it, he would pass the training grounds; he might find someone there.

Half an hour into his trip, he spotted his girlfriend hard at work beating a training log into a pulp with her bare hands. Naruto developed a sly grin on his face and then proceeded to stealthily sneak up behind Hinata and then put his hands over her eyes.

"Guess who?" said Naruto playfully.

The moment he said this, Hinata reacted by grabbing his forearms and launching him into a nearby tree, convinced he was an attacker. Only when she saw his telltale gear and bright blonde hair did she realize whose face she just introduced to the bark of a tree.

"Oh my god!" said Hinata, petrified. "Naruto-kun! I'm so sorry, I thought you were a kidnapper or something! Gomen nasai!"

"Not a PROBlem." said Naruto dizzily. "YOu can hanDLE yourself PREtty WEll. You have a powerful throw. I like that." '_But the whole post-throw, hitting a hard thing real hard, not so much.' _he silently added.

Naruto finally shook his head to re-orient himself as Hinata helped him stand up. The two then discussed The Chunin exam finals only an hour away.

"So, today's the day." said Hinata.

"Sure is." replied Naruto.

"I recieved your note, by the way. I'm wearing the dog tag right now."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me, Hinata-chan. And today, I'm going to make Neji pay dearly for what he did to you."

"Naruto-kun..."

"Yes?"

"I know you're angry about what he did, but I'd rather you not do anything rash. It's not my business what you'll do to Neji, but I'm sure that whatever action you take, you have a justifiable reason to do it."

"...Thanks, Hinata-chan." replied Naruto, mulling her words over.

The two stood in silence for a minute, looking at the sky. Then...

"Hinata, remember when we first met last year?"

"Of course I do." replied Hinata, smiling.

"You were so shy then." commented Naruto.

"I was, wasn't I?"

"You've changed since then, you know. But shy or not, I still like--no, love you."

"And I love you too, Naruto-kun."

Hinata kissed Naruto on the cheek, causing the blonde to blush. Naruto looked at his watch and realized he should leave.

"I better get going, Hinata-chan. I guess I'll see you in the stands?"

"You will, Naruto-kun. Good luck."

"Thanks."

And with that, Naruto jogged back into Konoha, trying to head to the exam stadiums. However, the crowds of people made it difficult for him to find where he was going, and he left his GPS locator at home.

"Crap." said Naruto to himself. "I really need to get to the stadium."

Just then, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Naruto-nii-san!"

Naruto looked at a nearby alley to Konohamaru waving to him. Naruto walked over to the academy student to see what was up.

"Hey, Konohamaru. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Hey, you looked kinda lost. You trying to get to the stadium?"

"Yeah. Can you help me?"

"Of course! I've got a shortcut!"

"Awesome! Where is it?"

"Right here--oh."

Konohamaru lifted a plank of wood on a fence only to find that the hole had been patched up by sheet metal.

"Uh-oh. Looks like it's been blocked."

"Seems that way." said Naruto, eyeing Hokage Mountain to the east. Then, he got an idea.

"Hey, Konohamaru, grab on. I think we'll fly to the stadiums today..."

---------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, at the stadium, the crowd of hundreds were clamoring to see the Exam battles, including the most anticipated Sasuke vs. Gaara battle. However, without Sasuke or Naruto there, the Exams could not start yet. Thus, Shikamaru, Gaara, Shino, and the rest of the Konoha Genin in the stands were wondering where the two were.

_'I know that there's a saying about making the audience wait, but this is pushing it.'_ thought Shikamaru. However, he was the first to hear (faintly) the stacatto sound of helicopter blades.

---------------------------------------------------

**10 seconds from the LZ**

"Naruto, ten seconds to target! You all set?!" shouted Kyle.

"What do you think, Konohamaru? Pretty awesome, yeah?" said Naruto over the intercom.

"This is awesome! I've never been in a Helicopter before!"

"Five seconds, Naruto! Get ready!"

"I'll see you later, Konohamaru!" Naruto then got quiet and leaned his butt out the door in preparation to jump out and fast rope.

"4...3...2...1... GO, GO, GO!"

Naruto pushed off, riding the rope to the ground of the arena floor below.

----------------------------------------------------

At this point, everyone looked up to find the source of the wind blowing into the exam stadium. What no one expected to see was a hovering flying machine, much less a person sliding down from said machine on a rope. Naruto had his eyes focused on the ground below him, and to a certain extent, Neji, who matched his thousand yard stare. His boots touched the ground with a thump, and Naruto let go of the rope after he gained his balance. Above him, Kyle detached the rope from its harness, and the rope coiled up like a snake when it reached the ground. Naruto waved to the chopper, and Konohamaru returned with a thumbs up before the Hind D increased throttle and flew away and went into an orbit around the Exam stadium. In the VIP box, The Kazekage eyed the Hind D with interest.

"Hokage-dono, just what is that...thing in the sky there? I've never seen anything like it."

"Well, Kazekage-dono. That is what's known as an Attack Helicopter. Helicopters, as I've learned, are aircraft that have the ability to fly forward, backward, climb, descend, strafe, and even hover, as you've seen. An Attack Helicopter has the ability to carry and use weapons in a combat setting in addition to flying around."

"Interesting. How did you acquire it?"

"It wasn't me who paid for it, but rather a donor in the village who could be said to sit on a hefty pile of currency. It was one donation out of many to Konoha's Military Forces. We actually have two more of those, and before you ask, we intend to keep them."

"I see. So you're not looking to sell them?"

"Not at the moment."

Back on the Arena floor, Shikamaru shook his head as he watched Naruto pick up the rope.

"Naruto, you troublesome bastard. You just had to make an entrance, didn't you?"

"Well, I thought I'd make it a little exciting."

"Whatever."

"Hey guys, stop mumbling." said Exam Proctor Shiranui Genma. "You guys are the cream of the crop in these exams, hold your heads high. Everyone's attention is on you."

Naruto looked to the stands to see the crowd cheering, and upon closer inspection, Hinata was waving to him from her seat beside Kiba. He returned the wave before noticing something catching the light at an odd angle in the stands.

"Genma-san," asked Naruto. "is that bulletproof glass I see?"

"That it is, Naruto." replied the proctor. "We wanted to be on the safe side, seeing as we didn't know what weapons you'd be bringing. The glass is also designed to stop explosive fragments from flying into the crowd."

"Not to worry." said Naruto. "I've loaded my handguns with subsonic, non-ricochet ammunition, so there shouldn't be too much danger."

"That's good. The last thing we need is a wrongful death lawsuit."

Soon, Sarutobi stood up stretching his arms out sideways to command attention; the crowd quieted down as he announced the start of the Chunin exams. Like the preliminaries, the fights could be to the death, but if one was clearly unable to continue, a winner would be declared. With the rules out of the way, he sat back down, discreetly feeling for something in his robes as he did so.

'_Good, it's still there._' thought Sarutobi. Unsure of who was really sitting next to him, the Kazekage or Orochimaru, he was taking no chances by being caught unprepared. Naruto told him this day would come, and since he was informed, he had used the previous month to put in range time that made him proficient with whatever he carried under his spacious Kage robes. A mantra he remembered from his practice was that of the Failure to stop drill. '_Two to the chest, one to the head. Two to the chest, one to the head._'

---------------------------------------------

Back on the arena floor, Naruto unslung the HK416 carbine with 10-inch from his back and reslung it across his chest. He and Neji stared at each other silently until the Branch house prodigy broke the silence.

"So, are you thinking of taking your revenge on me today?"

"Perhaps. You can't read my mind, so I have no reason to confirm or deny that."

"Fate has already decided that for you. You will be unsuccessful in your battle, but you will at least have put up a serious challenge."

"You don't know that. What, are you a soothsayer or something? Perhaps you have a degree in fortune telling?"

"I see you've already resorted to petty insults."

"No, I was being serious. Are you a soothsayer? Do you have a degree in fortune telling? Well, do you?"

"...No. Why do you ask?"

"Exactly. Shut the hell up and let our fists, weapons, and techniques do the talking."

The two combatants focused on each other, their peripheral visions keeping track of the proctor's hand. The moment it dropped, Neji made the first move by throwing a hail of Kunai and Shuriken then dashing towards Naruto, who simultaneously cocked the HK416 and rolled to avoid the projectiles before dropping to a knee and opening fire on Neji. Neji countered with Hakkeshou Kaiten, which deflected the high-velocity rounds toward the stadium walls and bulletproof glass. The crowd was startled, but no one got hurt. As Naruto performed a lightning-fast reload before Neji finished spinning, he muttered something under his breath.

"Lesson one, improvisation. Counter Chakra with more Chakra."

Naruto focused Chakra to his hands as he gripped the HK416. His hands sent Chakra into the internal parts of the carbine (a very dangerous thing to do, as the round in the chamber may go off, even explode without warning) and he squeezed the trigger, the HK416 now spitting out Chakra-coated full metal jacket rounds that glowed like tracers. With their protective outer coating, they managed to punch through the Kaiten shield with only a minimal loss of velocity or power. However, The only shots Naruto managed to make were grazes on Neji's extremities, and none of the rounds landed in Neji's center of mass due to the Kaiten. Frustrated, Naruto switched tactics and put down his HK416 and drew his .45 and knife as he dashed at Neji. Neji spun around in time to counter Naruto's knife and .45 with two Kunai of his own. Naruto shifted his aim, but was again blocked by Neji. Trying to put some distance between himself and his opponent, Naruto attempted to kick Neji away, only to be swept off his feet as Neji dodged and took his supporting foot out from under him. Naruto fell but rolled away from Neji and then onto his feet. Using the same technique as he had with the rifle, Naruto leveled his handgun at Neji and opened fire, Neji. In response, Neji ducked each round and moved out of the line of fire. As Naruto reloaded, Neji threw more Kunai at him, to which Naruto responded by flinging the empty magazine of his STI Tactical at the cluster of projectiles, deflecting them. He reloaded quickly, and opened fire on Neji. Neji dove out of Naruto's line of fire just as the first round was spat out from the muzzle of the STI. What he didn't count on however, was finding himself within a foot of a grenade.

"Oh, Shi--"

A powerful concussive explosion rocked the arena walls as Neji was sent flying into the air. Naruto smirked.

"Gotcha."

Naruto's smirk disappeared, however, when Neji's ragdolling form was replaced by a log. His frustration was confirmed upon hearing Neji's voice behind him.

"Your weapons will only get you so far, Naruto. End of the line for you, because..."

Naruto got up, dropping his knife from between his teeth into his hand only to have it stopped by Neji, who wordlessly activated his Byakugan.

"...You are within my field of divination! Hakke Rokujuyon Shou (Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms)!"

Hinata watched in shock from the stands as Naruto had his tenketsu sealed off by Neji in quick succession, followed by a final blow that sent him flying. Naruto landed hard on his back, and struggled to get up, but for some reason, laughing as he did so. When Naruto finally got to his feet, he spoke.

"Hoo boy! Thank god for body armor, that would've been a hell of a lot worse without it!"

Upon finishing the sentence, Naruto coughed and spat out a little blood onto the dirt of the Arena. Despite this, he continued to laugh, causing Neji to smirk and shake his head.

"You're deluding yourself, Naruto. Give up and save yourself anymore injury, you can barely stand, let alone fight."

"Oh please, I'm just getting... warmed up." said Naruto between labored breaths. Mentally, he requested Kyuubi's assistance.

'I could use a little help, Kyuubi-san. I think this is where I'm going to reveal my new jutsu.'

**'No problem. It's time for you to make good on your promise, so my Chakra should make you look less like something the cat dragged in.'**

'Thanks.'

**'Don't mention it.'**

Naruto clasped his hands together in the Ram seal, causing Neji to scoff until he saw Naruto's Tenketsu reopen with violent force. Naruto increased the output to intimidate Neji as the force of Kyuubi's chakra began to dent the ground below him. Then, he flashed through the seals for his secret Jutsu. Quickly, Naruto finished the series of seals and called out the name of his brand new, top-secret Jutsu.

"KETSUEKI BUNSHIN NO JUTSU! (Blood Clone technique)"

Naruto felt the sensation of his skin being pulled as a humanoid shape on either side of him separated to become three, five, seven, nine, then a total of eleven Narutos in the arena. Naruto gave them the command, and the other ten Narutos charged at Neji, some of them providing covering fire for each opther while the others got in close with their knives. When Neji kicked them away, he expected them to disappear in a cloud of smoke, not get back up and keep attacking. The clones themselves began speaking to him.

"We're not normal clones, Neji." said one.

"We're far more sophisticated than even the Kage Bunshin." added another.

"In order to defeat us--"

"--you'll have to make us bleed and die."

The clones continued their assault on Neji, who was forced to use up his Kunais by stabbing all ten of the clones in either the head or chest. The last clone he stabbed to death resisted him for quite some time, but Neji still got the short end of the stick in the end when a live grenade rolled out of its left hand. It detonated, sending Neji flying towards the far end of the Arena. As he lay on the ground, Naruto reappeared where Neji had battled the clones earlier and wordlessly pulled out ten unique kunai and threw them into the air. As they landed surrounding Neji, Naruto tied ninja wire around the loop of a kunai before making a one-handed seal that all the senior ninja in the stadium recognized. Gai, in particular, put two and two together and realized what Naruto was about to perform.

"By Kami-sama, it's been thirteen years since that Jutsu was last used..."

Tenten looked at her sensei and asked what he was seeing.

"What is that jutsu, Gai-sensei?"

"The signature jutsu of the Yondaime Hokage--"

-------------------------------------

"--Hiraishin No Jutsu." whispered Naruto on the arena floor. Disappearing in a silent flash of light, Naruto reappeared at the first of the tri-pronged kunai as Neji got to his feet. Naruto punched him in the stomach before using the hand seal and teleporting to the next kunai. Naruto repeated this process, with Neji failing to stop him until Naruto reached the last kunai. Naruto simply stood there with the kunai he prepared earlier in hand, Neji taking this chance to attack him. Naruto simply twitched the kunai in his hand, and Neji felt the skin on his neck tighten a little. He brought his hand up to note that ninja wire had been wrapped firmly around his neck and realized that the random jabs from Naruto during the Hiraishin sequence were a ruse to wrap him up. Genma saw this, and raised his hand to signal the end of the match.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!" declared Genma. The crowd began cheering, but Naruto wasn't quite done with the fight yet.

"This isn't over. I have one last thing to do."

Naruto jumped behind Neji to a nearby tree and swung himself over a thick branch a few feet off the ground and pulled the kunai down with him, using Neji as the counterweight to slow his descent. Naruto shoved the kunai into the tree trunk to secure the ninja wire as his opponent was hoisted off his feet and left dangling from his neck from the tree branch. Neji began choking, the all-too-human fear of mortality setting in quickly as he struggled to breathe. Meanwhile, Naruto walked away from the tree, a calm expression on his face as the crowd in the stands gasped at his actions, including shouts for him to get Neji down from the tree before he dies. Naruto turned around to face Neji and spoke about his strangulation in a manner more suited to a business presentation.

"Well, Neji. If you reacted right away, you should be able to hold out for two minutes or so before you pass out." said Naruto. Not getting a response from the struggling branch house member, he continued to speak while the Jounin and medic-nins rushed out to the arena in order to get Neji down. However, Naruto had ensured that he would be able to finish what he had to say before Neji got down by using metallic ninja wire, which was nigh impossible to cut.

"I told you I would avenge Hinata, Neji. And since there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say, what better method than in battle? I've had it with you demeaning Hinata because of her supposed lack of strength when she has a surplus of it in the form of her kindness. See, Neji, in today's world, her strength is rare, and I take offense when you demean and insult that strength, just as I am not pleased when you insult others simply because you think the Hyuuga are the best and that everyone else is inferior. Thus, I take pleasure in watching you squirm, and I would not be affected if you perished today." continued Naruto. He then began walking away while the Jounin struggled to untie Neji as the branch house prodigy began turning a sickly shade of red.

Just as Naruto was about to enter the stairwell to the competitor's observation area, he spun around and fired his STI tactical at the kunai embedded in the tree. He hit the kunai ring dead on, shattering it and releasing Neji from the stranglehold of the ninja wire. Neji fell to the ground, then onto his knees as he regained the color in his face, greedily taking in fresh oxygen as the ninja wire around his neck unraveled. Meanwhile, Naruto walked back to Neji, holstering the STI Tactical. Neji looked up at him and questioned him.

"Why?" gasped Neji. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Because even I have a sense of mercy, Neji. They say that a solider lives with the ghosts of those he's killed; often, he sees sees their faces when he tries to sleep, and they never go away for a while. I've shot a lot of people with my guns; I've blown up a lot of things with explosives, despite the knowledge that people would be incinerated in the blaze. I've convinced myself that those actions were done for the right reason. Hinata, too, seems to be of similar mind. All this time, despite how badly you've treated her, she found it in herself to forgive you. She believes there had to be a reason why."

"What does this have to do with you and me?" asked Neji as he was laid on the stretcher.

"I'm forgiving you for your actions by sparing your life, Neji." replied Naruto. "In return, I ask that you evolve from your current way of thinking. You can't afford to continue thinking so arrogantly and narrowly. Fate doesn't control you, Neji. You control fate. Remember that and change your ways. Otherwise, you won't be much longer for this world. I controlled my own destiny by training to defend myself and I ended up doing more than just being able to prevent myself and others from being victims. Now, I'm aware of the caged bird seal that hides behind your Hitai-ate, Neji. Word of advice, don't use it as a crutch."

With that, Naruto walked off into the stairwell of the competitor's observation stand as the crowd clapped, having seen one of the best fights ever despite what happened. Hinata had heard Naruto's speech and confirmed her gut feeling that Naruto would do the right thing as she smiled. Neji looked into the sky as Genma turned to him and said, "Even a captured bird, if it's clever enough, will try to open the cage with its beak; never giving up its desire to fly freely in the sky. This time, you've lost."

Neji mulled over Naruto's words as he was hustled off to the infirmary. Meanwhile, Naruto was in the stairwell when he collapsed, breathing hard.

**'You all right, kit?'** asked Kyuubi.

'Peachy. Nothing I can't handle.' replied Naruto. The genin stripped off his body armor and opened the armor plate pouch as he dumped out the crumbling remains of the bulletproof ceramic plate that Neji shattered with his Hakke Rokujuyon Shou attack. Naruto frowned. Obviously, he would have to look into some sort of revision to protect users of body armor from attacks such as Neji's. Putting his body armor back on, Naruto smiled as he pulled out a small box of chocolate Pocky (which had surprisingly survived the fight) from one of his tactical vest's pouches and put a stick in his mouth, not biting on it. He hadn't had the stuff in a while, and he wanted to reward himself.

'Man, I totally earned this.'

Naruto walked back to the competitor's observation deck to watch the next fight, which was to be between Shino and Dosu, since Tsurugi was no longer around. Naruto bid Shino good luck as the Aburame heir nodded and went down the stairs to the Arena, Dosu following behind him. Naruto stayed long enough to watch the beginning of the battle before remembering he'd wanted to talk to Neji some more. Before heading to the infirmary, though, he turned to ask Gaara a favor.

"Psst, Gaara."

"Yes?"

"See this guy next to me?" asked Naruto, indicating Shikamaru. "He's in a match against your sister. If you have to, shove him over the rail to make him fight. It's not healthy for him to just forfeit the match."

"I'm not making any promises, Naruto. That's of his own will."

"Ok then." replied Naruto, walking off. Shikamaru heard the conversation and as usual, muttered, "Troublesome."

At the infirmary, Naruto managed to arrive in time to see Hiashi leave. The two exchanged a temporary glance before Naruto knocked on the door.

"Come in." replied Neji.

A medic-nin opened the door to see that it was Naruto who was going to visit. Remembering what happened a few minutes ago, the Medic-nin ordered Naruto to drop off all his weapons at the door before he went any further. Naruto complied, putting down his HK416, his STI Tactical, his grenades, spare mags, Weapons scroll, and knife. Then, he had to pull back his sleeve and remove the Colt .25 Automatic that was mounted on his arm frame holster. When that was finished, the Medic-nin patted him down, and upon confirmation that he was unarmed, allowed him to go visit Neji. Naruto sat down next to Neji's bed. With a sigh, he explained his own situation in order to relate to Neji.

-----------------------------------------------

_15 minutes later..._

"--So trust me, Neji. I know what it's like to have a burden placed on me without my permission."

"As true as that may be, Naruto, you and the Kyuubi seem awfully friendly towards each other. You're sure he's not merely manipulating you?" replied Neji.

"Well that's because that's his nature, and besides, trust can be difficult to build at times. Look, I'm trying to relate you, Neji, not prove that I have a bigger sob story than you. But if there's a lesson in this, it's that no matter the obstacle, a person can overcome it in some way or another. If I have to, I'll change the Hyuuga clan for the better, provided you and Hinata are willing to put the past behind you and work with me."

"I suppose I'll hold you to that, Naruto." replied Neji, shaking Naruto's hand.

"Remember what I said, Neji. You control fate. It doesn't control you."

With that, Naruto walked out of the infirmary to see Shikamaru's match. Naruto checked his watch, surprised to find that he had spent so long a time in the infirmary talking to Neji. He had reached the competitor's observation area when he saw Shikamaru raise his hand in forfeit. '_That idiot,' _Naruto shook his head. Down on the field, Temari asked Shikamaru why he didn't attempt to finish the battle.

"You had me dialed in eight ways to Sunday. Why didn't you finish me off?" the Suna kunoichi asked.

"A couple of reasons, actually." replied Shikamaru, holding up his hand. He counted them off as he spoke.

"One, I had used up nearly all of my Chakra and no matter how much I strategized, the outcome wouldn't have been favorable. Two, I don't want your brothers out for my blood. And Three, well, I don't have it in me to bring myself to injure a woman. (Especially one as pretty as yourself.)" the lazy genius reasoned, muttering the last part. Temari did catch this though, and she blushed lightly. That was really the first time anyone had complimented her on her looks, despite the fact that she carried herself as a more tomboyish person.

"I heard that last part." said Temari. "Thanks for the compliment."

Shikamaru didn't reply, but sighed inwardly. 'I keep forgetting that women have more sensitive hearing than men. Just another thing that's troublesome.'

Shikamaru simply waved to her as he walked back to the competitor's observation area. Meanwhile, back in the stands, Mitsuko checked her watch. Sasuke would've been here by now, especially since it as his fight coming up next. What was taking him so long? As if answering her thoughts, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared on the arena floor in a swirl of leaves. The crowd recognized the Uchiha, and immediately began cheering like crazed fans at a soccer game in Europe or at a concert of a famous and popular band.

Back on the arena floor, Sasuke exchanged some prefight words with Gaara.

"You know, you should learn to actually use your hands and feet soon, Gaara." said Sasuke.

"Do I, now? My control over the sand had been honed for years under many conditions. That training has made my sand a nigh-invulnerable absolute defense." replied Gaara.

"Then I will be the first to break through it."

The two smirked at each other as they stared each other down. Genma's hand dropped, and the clash between the two had begun. For the first few minutes of the fight, the two were in a dead heat against each other until Sasuke began using his newly acquired speed as a result of training to outrun Gaara's sand. Soon, Sasuke was landing hits left and right too quickly for Gaara to defend against. As the Suna Genin kept getting pummeled, his inner demon took amusement from the redhead's misfortune.

**'So, where's your so-called "Absolute Defense" now, Red?'** mocked Shukaku.

'Shut Up, dammit! I'm perfectly fine!' replied Gaara venomously.

**'You know, we can make that deal anytime, now.'** offered the Tanuki demon.

'No, not yet. I won't know my true power until I fight Naruto. Only then will I possibly need your assistance.

**'Suit yourself, then, Red. Or should I call you "Uchiha Punching Bag"?'**

'SHUT UP AND STOP CALLING ME RED!'

Gaara shut out Shukaku completely and focused on making a protective barrier around him. first, he faked out Sasuke with a Sand Bunshin and reappeared far enough away to hastily build a defensive bubble around himself while Sasuke attempted to remove his arm from Gaara's sand bunshin. By the time the Uchiha was mobile again, Gaara had sealed himself in a large ball of sand while his Daisan no Me (Third Eye) gave him a view of the world outside. He discovered Sasuke up on the arena wall charging a ball of lightning in his right hand. This did not go unnoticed by the Jounin in the stands.

"Is..." breathed Gai. "Is that what I think it is?"

"I taught Sasuke my only original move." replied Kakashi. "The Chidori."

"And people say I take risks with my students."

"And you do. At least Sasuke isn't crippled from what I taught him."

"Cheap shot, Eternal rival."

Back on the arena floor, Sasuke charged down at Gaara, intent on penetrating the dome of sand with the Chidori in his hand. Seemingly without effort, Sasuke managed to dodge the sand spikes which now shot out to intercept him. Gaara's eye trakced the Uchiha until he rammed the Chidori into the sand dome, causing Gaara to open his eyes in time to find the ball of lightning centimeters from his face. Then...

"AAAAAGH!" roared Gaara in pain. Despite his isolation inside the sand dome, it was an unearthly scream that could be heard even in the stands. As Sasuke struggled to free his arm from the dome, Gaara sat inside, stunned and clutching his head in pain.

"Agh... So this is what it's like... to bleed...nnh...Pain!!" muttered Gaara to himself.

**'You baby.'** taunted Shukaku. **'That was barely a scratch, and suddenly you're all, "Oh mommy! I'm dying from a small head wound!" Man up, Red. If you need it, we can make that deal go through...'**

"I just might do that. Now leave me alone! I have to finish this before I test my true strength against Naruto!"

--------------------------------------------------------

After dropping off Konohamaru at the Academy, Kyle, Ryan, and Ike orbited the village.

"I'll bet Naruto got some major cool points for arriving with us." commented Kyle.

"It seemed like that Konohamaru kid enjoyed the ride as well." added Ryan.

"Makes for great PR, in my opinion." said Ike. Suddenly, something on the ground in a clearing caught his eye.

"Hey guys, I'm bringing us down. Kyle, get set to hit the ground."

"Why me?"

" 'Cause you're the only one not in a pilot or gunner's seat. Now get ready to rope out. I'm bringing us down."

Ike released a little collective pitch and the helicopter descended as a result. He steadily did this until he slowly came to a hover at fast-rope altitude. Kyle dropped a rope and abseiled to the ground quickly, the rope followed a moment later after it was released by the helicotper. Now on the ground, Kyle walked over to the clearing and decided to get a closer look at whatever Ike had seen. He saw several figures laying still on the ground, and at this, he unslung his Colt CAR-15 carbine and scanned the area for any hostiles.

Kyle keyed his radio. "Looks like we've got a couple of bodies here."

"Whose are they? Any insignia on them?" replied Ike, hovering above the clearing.

"I'm checking right now-- This doesn't look good. All of these bodies are from the Sand village."

"Holy shit! Can you identify any of them?"

"One of these guys has Kage robes, it looks like. Let me check... My god, it's the body of the Kazekage and his security detail!"

"Kyle, get a hold of yourself." warned Ike. "Are you positive about this?"

"I'm matching up his picture with the face--at least what's left of it-- right now," replied Kyle, leafing thru a pocket-sized photo book. "Definitely the Kazekage's body."

"Then who was that at the stadium with the Hokage? Wasn't that guy the Kazekage?"

"I've got a dead body over here that says otherwise."

"What do we do then?"

"Warn Naruto now. He's the only guy in the stadium with any guns on him at the moment. Meanwhile, we'll RTB and scramble the rest of the defense force troops. This is bad, real bad..."

Ike glanced at Ryan, who nodded and got on the radio as they swooped down to pick up Kyle. It was of utmost importance that Naruto be warned of this so that he would act quickly. As soon as he found the right frequency, Ryan sent out a muster signal to Naruto.

-------------------------

Back at the stadium, Naruto was watching the fight below with interest from the stands when he recieved a radio call in his earpiece.

"Naruto here."

"Naruto, this is Ryan. The others and I gotta get back to the base a-sap, so I need you to listen carefully," said Ryan in a huff.

"Slow down, Ryan! I need to know what you're talking about!" replied Naruto.

"We believe we just found the bodies of the Kazekage and his security detail. Looked like they'd been dead for a good couple of days."

"What? But that's impossible! I just saw the Kazekage in the stands! Unless..."

"Exactly, Naruto. Whoever is sitting with the Hokage right now is putting him in danger. You have to take him out, but if you can't, disable him. Not only is the Hokage's life at risk, but also the lives of the civilians and friendly ninja in the stadium. That's a lot at stake."

"Right. Over and out."

Naruto started heading down towards the bottom of the stands, his pace increasing from a walk to a full-on run as he descended. He locked his eyes on the Hokage's position while he pulled out a length of printed paper from a scroll, proceeding to summon a PSG-1. His movements, of course, did not go unnoticed. In another far-off section of the stands, Kabuto was disguised as an ANBU Black Ops Ninja. He scowled beneath the mask.

'Damn! That Naruto is going to ruin everything! It looks like I'll have to kick things off sooner than expected.' Thought the spy who began flashing through a set of seals of his own. Meanwhile, Naruto had been stopped by Mitsuko, wondering where he was off to in such a hurry, with a long rifle in hand, no less.

"Naruto-kun, where's the fire? More importantly, why the hell do you have that... thing-- in your hands?" asked the Kunoichi.

"I don't have time to explain." replied Naruto, turning the scroll paper on his forearm. With a little bit of blood, he summoned a CZ75 and some spare magazines. "Look, something's bound to happen in the next few seconds. Be ready for anything. That's why I want you to take this and make sure you're ready to use it."

"But Naruto--"

"Do what I said!" finished the ex-mercenary as he ran to the front row.

"--I've never used it before." said Mitsuko, her words falling on deaf ears. She was about to figure out how the piece of Czech machinery in her hands worked when she caught sight of a feather floating down in front of her, followed by countless other feathers. The CZ75 and its spare ammunition fell out of her hands as she slumped forward in her seat, others following suit.

Meanwhile, Naruto was on his way to the front row when he saw the feathers, himself.

'Kyuubi, I don't need this crap slowing me down!' thought Naruto.

**'I'm on it.'** replied Kyuubi, creating a pulse of chakra. The pulse traveled through Naruto's system, clearing the effects of the genjutsu.

With the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he slapped the bolt of his PSG-1 down to make it chamber a round as he approached the railing and above the arena floor, the bulletproof glass separating the spectators from the combatants below. With all his might, Naruto leapt onto the railing and pushed off, shifting his body as he did so to begin aiming at the "Kazekage's" head. At the top of his lungs approaching the crest of his outward jump, he shouted:

"SANDAIME! GET DOWN!"

Naruto quickly squeezed the trigger of his PSG-1 five times in succession, all five match-grade supersonic rounds penetrating the bulletproof glass in the VIP box, but only one of them came close to hitting the Kazekage impostor, who ducked out of the way the moment the shots began ringing out. Meanwhile, Sarutobi had followed Naruto's instructions and ducked down behind his seat. As he did so, he fumbled for the weapon he had concealed in a shoulder holster under his robes. He unclasped the strap holding it in place and finally pulled the gun loose. Sarutobi revealed a Colt Python Elite .357 Magnum with 6 inch barrel and brought it to bear as the "Kazekage" stood up. He thumbed the hammer in preparation to fire when thick grey smoke accompanying a deafening explosion obscured his vision.

Back on the Arena floor, Sasuke looked in time to see Naruto land on the ground, rolling with the impact. The blonde got to a knee quickly before ejecting the spent magazine from his rifle and cursing as he slapped in a fresh magazine.

"Dammit! I almost had him!"

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing here, army brat? Your fight is over!" scolded Sasuke.

"So is yours! Sunagakure has clearly undermined our security, and now they're springing a surprise assault on us!" replied Naruto as he sighted in. "Damn! I've got no shot!"

"I don't think you ever had one in the first place."

"Har, har. Look, I need your help in sweeping and clearing the stadium. We have to head back in the stands and fight our way to Mitsuko. I handed her a gun, but I don't hear it firing, and that's got me pretty worried."

"We have to get back to her then. Got something I can use?"

"Just this."

Naruto unfurled his scroll further and summoned yet another weapon, this time, a simple-to-use Micro Galil carbine.

"It's just like your AK, but with less recoil," he said, handing it to Sasuke.

"Excellent, let's move!" finished Sasuke, chambering a round. The two went off into the stairway in order to get back to the stands.

-----------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Gaara had endured some pain in covering his wound with sand, but he was finally ready to fight again. He burst out of his sand dome, only to notice that Sasuke was gone.

'Where'd he go?' wondered the redhead.

**'He and Naruto went to defend their village, or at least the stadium. Don't you remember all that talk your sensei spouted about "The Plan"? This sudden invasion has cut your fight short.'** replied Shukaku.

'Damn! How am I supposed to fight Naruto now?!'

**'I am sure you'll think of something, red.'**

'Stop calling me that!'

"Gaara!" called a new voice. He turned around only to confront Baki.

"You remember the plan, don't you?"

"Screw you and your precious plan! I've got other fish to fry!"

"What's the meaning of this? I won't stand for such insubordination!"

**"Oh, Really?"** growled Gaara, Shukaku partly coming through in his voice. "I have no inclination to take part in your petty betrayal."

"Then I have no choice but to stop you."

"You and what army?"

Baki snapped his fingers, and a group of Suna Jounin surrounded Gaara. Quickly, they all rushed him, only to be beaten back by his sand. Thus began a one-sided fight between the Sand village's secret weapon and its own personnel.

------------------------------------

Back in the stands, Naruto and Sasuke stood back to back, covering each other and dispatching Sound and Sand ninja attempting to engage them. At this point, Naruto had switched back to his HK416 carbine, as the PSG-1 had no place in a close-quarters battle. When they finally reached Mitsuko's seat, Naruto covered his teammates while Sasuke undid the genjutsu on Mitsuko. The girl came to in a daze.

"Hmm? Sasuke-kun?! Naruto? What just happened?"

"Keep your head down and pick up that gun! Konoha's under attack!" hissed Naruto.

"What?! We're under attack? From who?"

"Suna, it appears. They got in right under our noses, and it looks like Hokage-sama himself is in trouble." replied Sasuke, remembering what Naruto had told him.

"So right now the Kazekage is attacking Hokage-sama?" asked Mitsuko.

"The Kazekage's dead, been so for a couple of days now, apparently," Naruto said as they caught a break from the action. "That's not the Kazekage there. Whoever is impersonating the Kazekage is anyone's guess. My money's on Orochimaru."

"So what do we do now? Should we help Hokage-sama?"

"He can handle himself. I gave him a Colt Python Elite, that'll knock a man's head clean off. Assuming he spent time at the range like I suggested, his adversary will be no match for him. In the meantime, I have to grab more weapons if we're gonna keep the fight going. I'm only down to a couple of pistols, so watch each other's backs and don't die on me, okay?"

"Got it." replied Sasuke and Mitsuko. But before Naruto left, Sasuke gave the blonde some parting words.

"Don't die on us, Army brat. I still have to challenge you some time."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

With that, Naruto sprinted off to the nearest exit in the stadium while Sasuke and Mitsuko sought cover and assisted the Jounin fighting off ninja from not only Suna, but Oto as well.

---------------------------------------

At the academy, Iruka grimaced as he looked out the window to see black smoke coming from the Exam stadium.

'Naruto, for your sake I hope you're all right. Keep the others safe, too.'

"Hey, Iruka! Pay attention!"

Iruka was pulled out of his worried thoughts by one of the other instructors in the conference room. At the moment, they were discussing how to evacuate the academy without causing the students to panic.

"So here's the plan: Arm up, tell the students to get in single file lines quietly, and then follow instructions to move to the shelter in the Hokage Monument." said one instructor.

"But won't that first directive cause some of the students to realize something big is going on?" asked another.

"Look, as far as they are concerned, this is an evacuation drill. Now if there are no further questions, get out of here and execute what we planned."

At once, the Chunin instructors filed out of the room and proceeded to their respective classes. Iruka proceeded slowly, still in worry about his former students' well being. Once again, another instructor pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Iruka, you all right?" asked his colleague.

"I'm just worried about my former students, especially Naruto. This might be more than he can handle."

"I wouldn't worry. The kid's had combat experience, for one thing, and he obviously had thought about this situation when he decided to put some emergency weaponry in each instructor's desk. Now hurry up, we have to get moving."

"Right."

Iruka jogged to his classroom and opened the door. closing it behind him, he cleared his throat to get the attention of his class.

"All right everyone, I have an announcement to make. We are about to go through an evacuation drill. I need everyone to line up single file, in alphabetical order, according to your last names. Stay quiet while I do a head count and roll call, and follow the rest of my instructions as they come."

As the class got in line, Iruka checked their names off a list and then quickly went to his desk. Reaching under the center drawer, he found what he was looking for and undid the locks holding the weapons in place. Iruka ended up producing a Remington M870 Tactical pump-action shotgun and a Beretta M92FS plus spare ammunition for each weapon. The Beretta was already loaded, but he still had to open a box of 12-gauge shells and load the shotgun and its shell holders manually. Having found places to fit the weapons on his person, he finished by placing the Beretta in a thigh holster and ordered the class to follow him. As they proceeded out of the classroom, Konohamaru had an uneasy feeling. It struck him as odd that their instructor would bring out firearms just for an emergency evacuation drill.

-----------------------------------

Back on the streets of Konoha, Naruto zigzagged from cover to cover as per his training. Now that his armor was useless, he was even more vulnerable to Kunai and Shuriken coming at him. As he rounded a corner, he found some Jounin, Chunin and Genin evacuating panicked civilians from their homes. All seemed to be going well until one of the Jounin was felled by a kunai in the neck, followed by a civilian mother of two. Her horrified children were whisked away by one of the Chunin, and Naruto turned to see where their attackers were coming from. The Genin took defensive stances and provided what security they could for the fleeing civilians while their seniors took on the attacking Suna ninja. Naruto had been watching, meanwhile, and made up his mind to assist the group. Using chakra to jump onto a roof, he took up an overwatching position as the Suna ninja mixed it up with the Konoha ninja. Naruto took aim, and began dispatching the enemy with short bursts from his HK416. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some Oto ninja attempting a flanking manuver on the Konoha ninja. Naruto shifted around in his position, slapped in a fresh magazine, and started shooting the Oto group. They were caught by surprise and were all mowed down before they could run away. Looking back at the Konoha group, they had finished off the Suna ninja attacking them and gave a 'thumbs up' to Naruto, who returned it with an 'ok' sign. Naruto then stood up and headed in the direction of his mansion.

"It'll be quicker if I go back to my old ways." said Naruto to himself as he summoned the Hellfire Fox from his scroll. He aimed in the direction of Uzumaki estate, pulled the trigger and waited a few seconds before activating what was technically Shunshin no jutsu. All that could be seen was a flash of light before he disappeared.

----------------------------

Back at the stadium, Sasuke and Mitsuko switched from static self-defense to actively hunting down enemy ninja, never leaving each other's side in case one of them was incapacitated. While Sasuke changed magazines, Mitsuko had his back with her CZ75.

Meanwhile, on the roof of a nearby structure within a large barrier, Sarutobi reloaded the cylinders on his Colt Python Elite with six separate .357 Magnum rounds mounted on a belt he wore on his Ninja garb. Orochimaru, meanwhile, took in some labored breaths as he commended the Sandaime Hokage for his abilities.

"So, it looks like the old ape has learned some new tricks. I wasn't expecting you to be so proficient with foreign weaponry that powerful, much less stooping so low as to use one as well."

"Mock all you want, Orochimaru. I just think you should know that this weapon has enough power to punch clean through your skull and still harm someone standing directly behind you." replied Sarutobi, exaggerating the Python's power. Thumbing the hammer back, he called out to his wayward student.

"Shall we continue?"

"As you wish, Sarutobi-sensei. When I've proven your weapon useless, Konoha will pay the price!"

------------------------------

Naruto quickly gained access to his armory to find the right weapons. Each weapon he found was quickly sealed into separate scrolls to accomodate for a surplus of ammunition. Before he left, he brought with him a small crate of which half of its contents were Kalashnikov ammunition and the other half M16/M4A1 Ammunition. Stepping onto the spacious lawn of Uzumaki estate, Naruto placed the crate down and pressed the transmit button on his radio.

"Kyle, Ryan, Ike, are any of you flying near Uzumaki estate?" he called.

"Ike here. I'm on my way to the stadium, but I'm coming up on the house now. You need a lift?"

"Yes, because I'm headed to the stadium as well. My team needs me, and I've got a resupply of ammo for the men on your chopper."

"Ok then, Naruto. Mark your position with smoke."

Naruto ended the transmission and tossed a signal grenade that spewed green smoke to attract the Hind's attention as it descended. Hovering a few feet off the ground, Naruto shoved the crate onboard and was helped into the cabin by some of Konoha's newly-established Airborne Assault and Defense ninja, who were trained to be the quickest responders in case of attack, second only to the ANBU. They quickly dusted off and flew at full throttle to the Chunin exam stadium, where more fighting than was scheduled took place.

-----------------------------

Back at the stadium, Sasuke and Mitsuko were down to their last magazines of ammunition. To make matters worse, the enemy had gotten the two separated, leaving each other without support from one another. It couldn't have come at a worse moment, as a spent shell jammed the ejection port of Mitsuko's CZ75, and in the time it took to clear the jam, Mitsuko became surrounded by enemies. She aimed the handgun at the nearest enemy, only to realize she had run out of ammunition. Reaching for a magazine, a look of horror crossed her face with the realization that she had no spare ammunition. Falling back on her ninja training, she used Kawarimi no Jutsu just as the enemy ninja were about to strike. She got away, reappearing in the front row, but not unscathed. Mitsuko doubled over from a sudden pain on the right side of her abdomen and clutched her hand over it. When she pulled it away, she saw her own blood on her left hand and grimaced. Now she was hurt, and in her situation, she wouldn't have time to bandage herself up, unless help miraculously came along. As the enemy ninja began to approach her, the sound of Helicopter blades grew louder and louder until they were suddenly drowned out by several loud gunshots whose report bordered on explosions. Mitsuko closed her eyes at the noise and then slowly reopened them to find that the gunshots were not far from the truth. The enemy ninja that were cornering her were now a good few feet away with bloody gaping holes in their abdomens, some of them missing entire organs. Mitsuko felt like vomiting, but the contents of her stomach refused to budge. She turned around to see Naruto standing in the open cabin of a Konoha ADF (Air Defense Force) Hind D Custom with a smoking AA-12 Automatic combat shotgun in his hands, the 20-round drum magazine loaded with Green High Explosive FRAG-12 shotshells. Naruto placed the weapon on safe, slung it on his back, and slid down the rope following the AAD ninja that went before him. Mitsuko turned to see that Sasuke was done dealing with enemies on his end, and he proceeded over to Mitsuko, genuinely concerned about her injury.

"Mitsuko, you're bleeding!" said Sasuke, his eyes transfixed on the blood soaking his Kunoichi teammate's vest.

"I'll be fine. The cut looks worse than it is. I'm gonna need your help bandaging it up, though."

"You sure? You're a rather capable medic, Mitsuko."

"I only have two hands. I need my shirt to be out of the way just a little so that I can patch up the wound, And I want to get back into action as quickly as possible. So if you could please hold my shirt up while I clean and patch up my wound, that'd be appreciated."

Sasuke did as he was told, but it was sort of an awkward experience for him. He was blushing furiously, and while his teammate was patching herself up, he kept stealing glances at her toned stomach, a product of hard work and exercise, unlike most other rookie Kunoichi, who would resort to tactics such as starving themselves to stay thin. Mitsuko finished quickly, though, and she put on all her gear just as Naruto reunited with them. The AAD ninja had already cleared much of the stadium and were now in the process of waking up people in the crowd.

"Hey guys, ya miss me?" asked Naruto.

"About time you got here." replied Sasuke. "It was a little difficult holding the enemy off, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"Still, It was probably for the better that I used those grenade rounds. Those things have more accuracy and more range than regular buckshot. "

Mitsuko twitched. Then, she decided to get her teammate's attention in order to settle something she had wanted to do just this moment.

"Naruto?"

"Yes, Mitsuko-chan?"

When Naruto turned to face Mitsuko, she placed the blonde in a headlock and hammered the top of his head with her right fist, refusing to let go until he explained his actions.

"YOU RECKLESS BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, USING HIGH-EXPLOSIVE ROUNDS IN AN AREA CROWDED WITH INCAPACITATED CIVILIANS?! THIS HAS TO BE YOUR DUMBEST DECISION YET! I DON'T EVEN NEED TO KNOW HOW TO OPERATE GUNS TO FIGURE OUT THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT COULD END BADLY! WHERE'S YOUR COMMON SENSE, YOU DUMB SONOVABITCH?" yelled Mitsuko.

Naruto choked out a reply. "Mitsuko... I only -urk- shot one round per person and -choke- aimed for the center... of mass. -gack- My superiors can vouch for my aim... I need air, Mitsuko. I'm beginning to pass out..."

Mitsuko huffily released Naruto, causing the genin to fall to the floor. As he got up, Kakashi walked over to them.

"Good, you're all here. Naruto, do you have their weapons?" asked their sensei.

"Sure do." replied Naruto. he unrolled three different scrolls and summoned their respective weapons. Sasuke got his M4, Mitsuko, her MP5K-PDW, and Naruto, his AK-47 custom. Sasuke was puzzled, however.

"Wait a tick. How come Naruto has our weapons? I thought we were supposed to return them to the armory?"

Kakashi was going to have trouble explaining this one. "Um, well, you see--"

"I asked to keep them at my place." said Naruto. "They don't clean their weapons often enough at the armory, and when they do, they're too 'swamped' to clean ours."

"Anyway," continued Kakashi. "Your first mission; your 'trial by fire', so to speak, as STAWAS is to assist in the Defense of Konoha by clearing out the eastern sector of enemy invaders. That area has been the Hardest-hit so far by enemy forces, and I've picked up calls for backup on the radio."

"Any particular orders, sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Terminate or defeat the enemy with extreme prejudice. The area has been cleared of civilians, so it's essentially a free-fire zone. Watch out for friendlies, though. There's at least a few Konoha ninja holed up there, so make sure you get there in time and don't shoot our own guys."

"If that's all, then we're ready to go." said Naruto. "STAWAS, move out!"

The three genin rushed out of the stadium as Kakashi watched them go. 'Good luck, kids.' thought the Jounin. 'You'll need it.'

The jounin began to walk away when he noticed a piece of paper on a seat in front of him. It read:

_Naruto,_

_If you wish to see your girlfriend alive and intact, meet me in the eastern sector of Konoha. Don't keep me waiting._

_-Gaara_

Kakashi's face grew tense. Looking at the Arena floor, he noted all the dead Suna ninja surrounded by what was undoubtedly Gaara's sand.

'Shit.' thought Kakashi. 'Naruto's in for a nasty surprise... I hope he can focus on his mission and save Hinata at the same time... who knows what that Gaara kid is capable of...'

-------------------------------------

"I certainly don't remember this being mentioned in our contract." said Kyle over the radio network.

"Neither do I." added Ryan.

"But I take it we're really supposed to use our ammunition against... Giant Snakes."

"I suppose."

Two of three ADF Hind D's were approaching the battle going on at the village's western gate loaded with AAD ninja ready to assist the ground forces at a moment's notice. The Hinds came to a stop on some rooftops, where the AAD ninja exited on ropes. Once clear of their cargoes, the Hinds moved up and got ready for a strafing run. Both pilots put their helicopters at maximum throttle and pitched their machines forward with a little bit of altitude gain. Once within 500 meters of their target, they let loose.

"Eat Depleted Uranium, Scaly! Gunner, engage the target!" shouted Kyle. His Jounin gunner nodded and upon target acquisition, pulled the trigger on his own control stick, unleashing hellfire and brimstone courtesy of the 25mm chaingun mounted under the chin of the Hind D. While not as large a round as used on that of its American counterpart, the Apache Longbow attack helicopter, the Depleted Uranium rounds chewed through the snake flesh with little effort.

"Target Acquired! Ten Hydras outbound!" announced Ryan over the radio. As he had said, 10 Hydra 70mm unguided rockets were loosed from their pods and fired into the heads of the snakes. The small salvo permanently blinded one snake by removing its eye with the detonation of the rockets. However, there were still more abnormally large snakes involved in the fight, and the two pilots would not rest until the snakes and their handlers were all obliterated. That would mean flying to the other gates in the village, which were spread quite a distance apart. This was going to take some time...

--------------------------------------

Meanwhile, STAWAS arrived in the Eastern sector quickly thanks to a ride from Ike, who had already flown off to join the rest of the Hind D's. Working as a team, Sasuke would often fire the first shot every time they encountered enemies who had holed up within a building, with Naruto and Mitsuko mopping up the rest of them with automatic fire. Outside of buildings, Naruto used the drum magazines on his Customized AK-47 to devestating effect, blowing away reinforcements while Sasuke and Mitsuko worked their actual targets. When they mopped up the last target, they heard the faint sound of clapping, and Naruto turned to see Gaara approaching them out of the smoke caused by various fires.

"Well, you certainly don't waste your time." said the redhead. "So, are you ready to face me in a fight?"

"Now's not exactly the best time, Gaara." replied Naruto, reloading his weapon.

"It is if the life of the girl you love is at risk."

"What are you talking about?"

"You didn't read my note? Well then, this is probably a surprise for you."

Gaara stepped back and pointed to a nearby upper story wall where a figure was encased in sand. Upon closer inspection, Naruto saw the indigo hair and face of his unconscious girlfriend. Immediately, rage began to consume him.

"What did you do to her?! Let her go!"

"I haven't done anything to her, at least, not yet. However, that sand encasing her will crush her to death unless you defeat me in time. And I'm not going to take it easy on you. Now shall we fight?"

"Let's. Sasuke, Mitsuko, cover the area. I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

"But Naruto, you can't be taking this so personally!" said Mitsuko. "You know Kakashi-sensei will chew your ass to pieces for this!"

"I'm not doing it because it's personal. I'm doing this to save one of our own. Gaara isn't stupid. He's probably rigged the sand so that if anyone tampers with it, Hinata will be crushed instantly. I already have the death of my previous teammate on my conscience. I don't want Hinata's death added to that."

Mitsuko sighed and conceded to Naruto. She and Sasuke moved to a couple of rooftops for an overwatch position. No one else was to enter the fight area, simply because they couldn't afford to have anyone caught in a crossfire.

'I hope you know what you're doing, Naruto.' thought Mitsuko.

---------------------------------------

Finishing another round of exchanging bullets, Jutsu, and various Taijutsu attacks, Orochimaru began flashing through hand seals that Sarutobi did not recognize until it was too late.

"I hope you have enough ammunition, Sarutobi-sensei. In a few moments, you'll have other targets aside from myself to worry about." said the snake sannin. Slamming his hands down on the roof, he had summoned three coffins, Sarutobi knowing all too well who they belonged to. And he was too damned late to stop them. All he could do was reload his Python Elite, thumb back the hammer, and make sure that he and his summon, Enma, were ready to deal with whatever came next. The covers of the three caskets popped off to reveal the Shodaime, Nidaime, and Yondaime Hokages. Opening their eyes, the three took stock of their situation.

"It seems we're alive again." said the Shodaime.

"The question is, how did that happen?" added the Nidaime

"GODDAMNIT! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SCORE WITH MY HOT WIFE! WHAT JACKASS DECIDED TO CKBLOCK ME THIS TIME?!" yelled the Yondaime, before realizing that all on the rooftop were staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Finally, Shodaime broke the silence.

"I don't think the first thing you should be thinking about when you get resurrected is about how your sex life was interrupted, Arashi."

"It's not fair, Shodaime-sempai! She was in the mood!"

While this was going on, the Nidaime looked to Sarutobi and spoke with him.

"This doesn't feel right, Sarutobi. I think we're going to end up fighting you."

"I wouldn't be surprised, considering who summoned you."

The Shodaime and Nidaime were about to turn around when they were stabbed in the back by Orochimaru with specialized Kunai that allowed the treacherous sannin to control them. Arashi was next, but out of anger, he did something Orochimaru least expected. Arashi grabbed hold of the kunai, and in turn, Orochimaru's arm in order to immobilize the sannin long enough for a mean punch to the face before taking the Kunai and snapping it in two with his bare hands. Evidently, hell hath no fury like a c-blocked Hokage.

"I'm not your puppet, Orochimaru. I never was, and I never will be. You've done enough damage over the years, and it's time for me and Sarutobi to drop you like a bad habit."

"You'll have to fight us, first." said Shodaime. Nidaime came up beside him and got in a stance of his own.

"Let's rumble, then. Let's go, Sarutobi!" shouted Yondaime.

With these words, the four warriors charged at each other, beginning another round of trading bullets, kunai, and Jutsu. Yondaime got in the first blow by using Hiraishin no Jutsu to get in close and land a kick to the Nidaime's face, the sound of breaking bone signaling that Yondaime had broken his opponent's nose. The Nidaime was sent tumbling backwards, but he soon got to his feet and pinched his nose as he set it back in place, his face looking like it had never been touched.

"Damn, I forgot that Edo Tensei Summons regenerate." said Yondaime as he charged in to continue fighting the Nidaime. On Sarutobi's end, he dodged the wooden spikes being hurled at him by the Shodaime, and he responded in kind by using his Python to return fire, hitting the Shodaime twice in the head and chest. The Shodaime was knocked down, lying still on the roof that they were fighting on.

"There's no way he'll get up after that-- what the?! Impossible! That was a head shot!" exclaimed Sarutobi. The Shodaime rose, his skin regenerating around his bullet wound.

"Didn't you hear Arashi, Sarutobi? Edo Tensei summons like me regenerate from any damage done to us." explained the Mokuton specialist. Cracking his neck, the Shodaime charged at Sarutobi, who leapt back as he fired more rounds at the Shodaime.

'What else could possibly kill him?' thought Sarutobi. As the aging Hokage relaoded and dodged attacks, he had to keep thinking. There was one possibility, but it would very well cost him his life...

--------------------------------------

Shell casings rained down onto the dirt streets of Konoha as Naruto engaged Gaara from a rooftop. Naruto ducked down behind an air conditioning vent as he reloaded, sand shuriken from Gaara narrowly missing him. Naruto crammed a fresh magazine into his HK416, pressed the bolt release catch, and popped up to continue firing. Gaara, however, had disappeared from view, and hearing sand shifting behind him was all the warning he got before getting smashed off the roof by a large wave of sand. Naruto got to his feet as quickly as he could while Gaara reappeared in a swirl of sand, ready to continue the fight. Naruto wiped a little bit of blood from his lip as he lined up his sights with Gaara's chest.

"It feels like something's changed, Gaara. I can't quite find the word to describe it, but you've become more... uh..." commented Naruto.

"If 'Powerful' is the word you're looking for, then you're right on the money, friend." replied the sand wielder with a smirk.

"What have you been doing, anyway?"

"Simple. I sacrificed a little self-control for a quite a bit more power. An equal exchange between me and Shukaku."

"Did you ever stop to think that he might have some sort of ulterior motive, Gaara?" asked Naruto. "It's choices like that that end up killing people."

"How would you know? Power is a wonderful thing! Let me show you how..."

Gaara underwent a transformation in front of Naruto's widening eyes, the latter momentarily dropping his aiming stance as he watched Gaara grow into a demonic-looking Tanuki. Gaara laughed, the laugh sounding evil when the Tanuki's mouth opened to let out the laugh.

**"Hahaha! Try using your puny bullets against me now!"**

Naruto leapt back as far as he could and flashed through the seals for the summoning ritual. He was certainly going to need backup, but he didn't want his teammates to risk themselves unnecessarily. Besides, their job was to keep passerby out of harm's way, not get involved. However, the frog he summoned was not what he was looking for.

"Hey, there! I'm Gamakichi, son of Gamabunta and next in line to be the toad boss! You got any snacks? I'm starving!"

"This has to be some cruel joke." said Naruto. "Instead of the toad boss, I get a small fry like you."

"Hey, you're one to talk, buddy!" said Gamakichi indignantly. Turning around, he saw Gaara in his Tanuki form staring them down.

"Who's that guy?"

"A person who sold part of his soul in exchange for power, apparently-- Look out!" responded Naruto. Sand shuriken came flying at them once more. With Gamakichi paralyzed in fear, Naruto scooped up the orange frog and jumped out of the way, but not before taking a hit to the leg. When the two landed on a nearby roof, Naruto grunted in pain as he hastily patched up his wound with a patch of gauze. It wasn't the most thorough job in the world, considering he had to use a small torniquet to hold the bandage in place. It wouldn't last long without slipping off of the wound, but it would have to do.

"Stay behind cover!" shouted Naruto. "I'll deal with him!"

Gamakichi watched in awe as the boy who saved him re-summoned his AA-12 loaded with FRAG-12 High-explosive rounds. Naruto then charged at Gaara's Tanuki form, leapt over it at the last second, then as he landed on his back, rolled over and Aimed for a specific spot on the Tanuki form.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to shove these where the sun don't shine!" said Naruto. He squeezed the trigger of the AA-12, pumping out fin-stabilized grenade rounds out of the barrel and into the tail of the beast he was facing. The rounds detonated on impact, one after the other, tearing the sand tail to shreds. Gaara was dazed. He wasn't expecting the attack where the sand was weakest.

'How did he know to aim there? He couldn't possibly have known that the tail is where the sand has the least density. That had to have been sheer blind luck.'

Blind luck or otherwise, Gaara opened his eyes to find nearly one thousand or more of Naruto's Kage Bunshins with Beta-C magazine-equipped HK416 carbines trained on him.

"You like my new trick?" chorused all the clones in question. "Just thought it up on the spot! I give you the Uzumaki Naruto 2000 Beta-C mag Barrage!"

Ending this sentence, the clones opened fire, spitting out a sea of 200,000 5.56mm Armor-piercing rounds (A Beta-C magazine contains 100 rounds of ammunition fully loaded. Multiply that by 2000, and you get a lot of spent rounds.). The shell casings piled up on the rooftops and slowly began to rain onto the streets themselves. The carefully coordinated fields of fire avoided the clones dispatching each other by accident and also dealt a great deal of damage to their target. The deadly crossfire tore the Sand Tanuki to pieces, starting with the arms, then the regenerating tail, followed by the legs and head. When the clones ceased firing, only the torso area was left, and they reloaded, this time with regular 30-round magazines as they closed in on the torso. Before they could react, however, the sand under their feet violently rose up suddenly, changing into spikes that stabbed them through the chest, removing them from existence. Gaara rose out of the sand torso just as the real Naruto showed up, a Beta-C magazine loaded into his own HK416.

"I should've known it would take more than that to defeat you." said Naruto with a smirk. Gaara wasn't as amused.

"You've learned that too late." replied the redhead. Shortly after closing his eyes as if to sleep, sand began to encase him once again, and no matter how much Naruto fired at it, his rounds were stopped cold. This time, the sand had enough density to flatten a rigid full metal jacket round traveling at supersonic speed. And as the pile of sand that encased Gaara grew larger, almost as large as a gigantic hill, Naruto knew he would need extra help. As if answering his thoughts, Sasuke showed up, followed by Mitsuko.

"Naruto, we have to get your butt out of the proverbial sling this time. There's no way you can take on that thing Gaara has become all by yourself. Let us help you."

"Please, Naruto!" begged Mitsuko. "We don't want you to get killed!"

"And I suppose you two forumlated a plan for stopping him if he goes on a rampage? If we fall, the rest of the village very well could along with us. Don't worry about me. I had you guys stay out of the fight so that you keep others from getting caught in the crossfire."

"There won't be any crossfire to speak of if we stop Gaara now!" finished Sasuke. Having lost his patience, Sasuke ditched his M4A1 and other gear as he fired up a Chidori as he rushed Gaara. Pushing some chakra into his legs, Sasuke leapt upwards and attempted to ram a Chidori into the heart of the Tanuki monster, only to be swatted away by its giant paw and into a nearby wall, against which he was violently smashed into. The impact was severe enough to render him unconscious, causing Mitsuko to first be shocked, then slowly be clouded with rage.

"BASTARD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR DOING THAT TO SASUKE!" screamed the kunoichi with murderous intent. Rushing Gaara in a beeline rather than in a straight line, she blazed away on full automatic with her MP5K-PDW, and upon dropping it the moment it ran out of ammunition, she leapt at Gaara's current form, her razor-sharp wire gleaming. As she wrapped the wire around the neck of the beast, she was unexpectedly jerked quickly towards her opponent. She was slammed into the sand of what was undoubtedly the one-tailed Tanuki demon known as Ichibi no Shukaku. Looking up at the face of the demon, her eyes widened with horror with the realization that her rage had gotten her way in over her head. The left paw plucked her off and held her entire body in place.

**"Insolent wench."** boomed Shukaku. **"Now, you will pay the cost of your foolishness."**

Mitsuko grit her teeth as the palm of the paw suddenly opened, making her look like she was flat on her back. Smaller appendages of sand appeared around her right arm and became rigid where the sand held her. Slowly, one appendage pushed at her outer elbow joint while another pulled her wrist and forearm. Pain began to take hold of her right arm, and suddenly, a snapping noise, followed by a tortured scream of pain. Mitsuko's arm was now broken at the elbow. Shukaku wasn't done yet. He took his thumb and pressed down on Mitsuko's abdomen, adding pressure bit by bit. Finally, two more snapping noises; He broke some of Mitsuko's ribs. Blood began to stain her vest red once again, a sign that her wound had reopened and the bandage soaking up the blood was beginning to overflow. Shukaku was taking further delight in torturing the groaning blue-haired Kunoichi when his paw was suddenly blown completely off. Naruto had targeted it precisely with an AG36 40mm grenade launcher attached to his HK416 carbine. As Mitsuko fell from the air, Naruto jumped as hard as he could and landed as softly as humanly possible when he caught his Kunoichi teammate's body. One look at her made him worry. Blood was coming out the side of her mouth--the pressure on her abdomen in addition to her broken ribs may have caused this--, her vest was beginning to get soaked with blood, and on top of that, her dominant right arm was now useless. Carefully, Naruto set her down next to Sasuke's unconscious form.

"N-Naruto..." said Mitsuko weakly before coughing out a little blood that pooled in her mouth. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have done that..."

"Don't say that, Mitsuko. You were only trying to help. Now, from one medic to another, I can say that your injury looks worse than it really is. I can patch your wound up again, and maybe put your arm in a sling, but you have to be careful with your ribs. I can't treat anything from the outside."

"Y-You were a medic?"

"All personnel going through special operations training must be able to handle the same injuries as a medic no matter what role they have on a fireteam. That went the same for me when I was in Special Forces School."

Naruto did what he could, changing the bandages on Mitsuko's kunai wound and after giving her a piece of wood to bite on, popped her forearm and elbow back into its socket. Shukaku's sudden roar prompted Naruto to work faster, and he pulled out and activated a disposable ice pack for Mitsuko to hold to her ribs as a way to reduce swelling. Before he left his teammates, Naruto instructed Mitsuko to stay immobilized and conscious as best as she could and monitor Sasuke's condition. Naruto then picked up his HK416 and went out onto one of the rooftops again. Now it was time to draw attention away from his teammates.

"HEY, SHUKAKU! I'M OVER HERE, YOU FUCKER!" shouted the genin. Shukaku whipped around only to get a 40mm grenade round to the face. Luckily, Gaara was not within the blast radius. Naruto used the distraction to attempt another summon of Gamabunta by using some of Kyuubi's chakra. It worked, as Gamabunta now found himself sitting in the middle of one of Konoha's larger streets. Figuring who summoned him, He turned to Naruto, still on a nearby rooftop.

"You know you still owe me a drink, right?" said the toad boss.

"I'm aware. Look, when this is all over, I promise you we'll get rip-roaring wasted."

"That's an awfully brazen statement for someone who's not even eighteen."

"Pssh. I could easily outdrink my other teammates. Those idiots introduced me to the bottle many times before, so I've learned to beat them at their own game."

Gamakichi then spoke up, landing on Naruto's head.

"Dad, Please don't force him into something that's not legal! He saved my life and the lives of his teammates!"

"Did he, now? From what?"

"That guy." finished Gamakichi, pointing at Shukaku.

"Wow." said Gamabunta. "Ugly bastard, but powerful. All right then, Naruto. You don't need to worry about the drink-- who's that over there?" asked Gamabunta, indicating Hinata.

"Hyuuga Hinata. My, um, Girlfriend."

"Oh, so it's a damsel in distress, then! Let's not waste time and kick this Tanuki's ass."

Naruto leapt to the top of Gamabunta's head. Staring at Gaara's sleeping form, he formulated a plan with the toad boss.

----------------------------------

Sarutobi and Arashi were now holed up in a forest of trees conjured by the Shodaime's Mokuton techniques. The two had agreed that the only way to defeat the Shodaime and Nidaime, and hopefully, Orochimaru, was to remove their souls using Shiki Fujin, which would call in a Shinigami to consume their souls. The problem was that it would consume the soul of the user as well. So who would perform the technique, and who would live to tell the tale? Arashi and Sarutobi were debating when the faint signature of muzzle flash to the east caught his attention. He saw Gamabunta, and on top of his head, a small figure.

"Sarutobi, who's that on top of Gamabunta's head?" asked the Yondaime.

"That's your son, Arashi. That's Naruto." replied Sarutobi.

A sense of pride swelled within Arashi. "Looks like my little boy is not so little anymore. How does he fight nowadays?"

"He uses firearms from the rest of the world in addition to what could be considered foreign Taijutsu techniques. I've been watching him, though, and he's mastered Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Hiraishin no jutsu, and he's even come up with two original techniques."

"I can only wish I was there for him. I've missed out on over ten years of his growth into an excellent ninja, haven't I?"

"He has a ways to go. When he arrived back here after 6 years spent overseas, he was already at Jounin level and was even offered entrance to the ANBU. Of course, he decided to be a little stubborn and start from Genin." explained Sarutobi.

"That's amazing! I never thought that my son, of all people, would be the first ninja in the history of the world to use modern weaponry in a field dominated by melee weapons, blades, and ninjutsu. He'll surpass both of us one day, Sarutobi." responded Arashi.

"I don't doubt that myself. He's a pioneer in his own right."

Just then, the two were interrupted by the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages discovering their position, and the two had to keep moving as they continued their conversation.

"So is my son romantically involved with anyone?"

"Actually, Hyuuga Hinata is his girlfriend."

"I knew he could do it! Good old Uzumaki genetics!"

"Well then, do you feel like living to be a grandfather?"

"I'm gonna do the Shiki Fujin. I've already died once, what's another time? My wife is gonna be pissed at me, and frankly, I don't think I could possibly keep up with Naruto's kids. They're probably gonna use Byakugan and Hiraishin no Jutsu to hide from me when my son has me babysit."

Sarutobi chuckled at this; the mental image was just too funny.

"So, shall we do this then?"

"Let's."

Sarutobi whipped around and fired off some rounds from the Colt Python, knocking down the two possessed Kages. Arashi threw forward one of his Hiraishin kunai as he grabbed the Shodaime and Nidaime and teleported to where he would be facing down Orochimaru. Arriving at his destination with Sarutobi close behind, Arashi created two Kage bunshins of himself in order to contain the souls of the Shodaime and Nidaime. Behind him, the Shinigami which he had summoned 'plugged in' into the bodies of Arashi and his clones. The clones attacked their targets first, grabbing hold of the Nidaime and Shodaime's bodies and sealing their souls into themselves. Once the Shinigami consumed the souls of the first two Hokages, Arashi was now ready to deal with Orochimaru himself.

------------------------------------------------

Back in the Eastern sector, Gamabunta pinned down Shukaku while in the form of a giant North American Brown bear to minimize fears that the nine-tailed fox had returned. Still, Gamabunta's current form would attract all sorts of attention, and Naruto wanted this to end quickly. Leaping from the top of Bear Gamabunta's head, he flew through the air and landed within mere feet of Gaara. Meanwhile, with his energy spent, Gamabunta's henge was undone and he poofed away to rest until he was summoned again. Gamakichi followed suit, leaving Naruto against Gaara and Shukaku. Naruto brought to bear his AA-12, now loaded with rubber slugs and shot Gaara twice, one slug in the chest and one slug in the head. Naruto followed up with a rifle butt from the stock of the AA-12, and as the sand began to pull him away from Gaara, Naruto finished the wake-up attack with a headbutt. The sand began sinking to the street as Gaara awoke, forcing Shukaku back into his host. The two slid to the ground amidst the large pile of sand. Naruto got up first, Picking Gaara up, then dragging the redhead over to where Hinata was being held by the his sand.

"Release her, now!" ordered Naruto. Gaara complied, forming a seal, which caused the sand to stop compressing itself against Hinata and let her down from the wall slowly. Naruto knelt down beside Hinata and checked her vital signs.

'Breathing is normal; strong pulse, which is good; no visible injuries... It looks like Hinata wasn't even subject to pressure from the sand. Thank goodness!'

"It seems like Hinata-chan was never harmed to begin with." said Naruto, turning to Gaara. "I suppose you wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you?"

"I had to get you to fight me somehow." replied Gaara with a smirk, which soon faded. "I still don't know how you defeated me, though... How do you manage it?"

"First off, you are clearly a person who knows the value of deception in warfare. Second, There is no secret to power, unless you count the fact that I'm doing it to protect those who are closest to me, to protect my precious people!" said Naruto.

"Then I clearly don't have a chance against you." replied Gaara. "I've never done anything for such a noble purpose like that. I always killed simply to validate my existence. Now, I'm doomed to do that for the remainder of my life..."

"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss yourself. I distinctly remember you saying how you killed an enemy ninja who cut your sister's leg open with a kunai. There is hope for you, Gaara. Just don't be afraid to ask for help from others."

"Thanks, Naruto." finished Gaara with his first truly sincere smile in years.

"No problem." replied Naruto. At that point, Temari and Kankuro slowly came in, cautious as ever.

"Is the fight over?" asked Temari.

"That it is...Onee-san." replied Gaara, smiling. Temari and Kankuro looked at each other. Their younger brother had changed rather drastically in personality ever since first coming to Konoha.

"You all right, Gaara?" asked Kankuro, unsure what to think of Gaara's behavior.

"I am." replied Gaara. "Naruto opened my eyes, in a way. I'll explain later. Right now, let's just get somewhere safe and out of the battle. Let's not get involved in this stupid fight anymore."

"But what about Baki-sensei?" asked Temari.

"He can go suck a lemon. There's no real reason to betray Konoha, which is why we as a team are not raising a hand against their forces."

The three began to walk away when Temari turned her head towards Naruto. She mouthed "Thank you" towards him, and Naruto nodded in recognition. As the Suna Trio walked away, Naruto gently woke Hinata, who had been put to sleep by the genjutsu back in the stadium.

"Hmm? Naruto-kun, where am I?" asked Hinata upon opening her eyes.

"It's a long story, but we're in the eastern sector. I need your help. Sasuke and Mitsuko are incapacitated and I need to know if there's anything you can do for them." replied the blonde.

"Lead the way."

Naruto and Hinata rushed to the alley where Sasuke and Mitsuko were holed up. Mitsuko seemed to be doing better, as there were no more spots of blood on the ground aside from when she spat out the blood that pooled in her mouth.

"Hey, Mitsuko." said Naruto. "You doing ok?"

"I'm hanging in there. Breathing hurts, though. Damn ribs." responded the Kunoichi, coughing then wincing in pain.

"I might be able to do something about that." said Hinata. "But first, you'll need to raise your shirt."

Without saying anything, Naruto looked away while Mitsuko used her working arm to remove her vest and T-shirt. Mitsuko chuckled.

"What's so funny?" asked Hinata.

"This is the second, no, third time I've come close to just removing my shirt completely today."

"Really? What happened?" questioned Hinata, engaging some girl-talk.

"First, there was the Kunai wound I took back in the stadium while fighting some Suna and Oto ninja, then my ribs get broken and my kunai wound reopens by god knows what Gaara turned into at the time, and then now, I've had to raise my shirt again. Well, if I ever end up on 'Girls Gone Wild', I'll fit right in!"

The two laughed at Mitsuko's joke. At least her sense of humor wasn't affected. Meanwhile, Naruto bled at the nose from the very thought of Mitsuko or even better, Hinata appearing on "Girls Gone Wild" in the future, but then dried off his nose and slapped himself. That was wrong! Those videos were basically exploiting inebriated teenage girls with low self esteem! However, his train of thought was interrupted when Hinata spoke up again.

"All right, Let's see if this ointment works." said Hinata, pulling out a small jar from her ninja pouch.

"What does it do?" asked Mitsuko.

"You place the ointment on or over the affected area. Once it's applied, it works with ordianry chakra to accelerate cellular regeneration, even if the injury is internal. Either the person treating the injury or the person that's injured can use their chakra to activate the ointment. All right, this might sting a bit."

Mitsuko watched as Hinata applied the ointment to her rib area, making the Team 7 Kunoichi wince in pain momentarily. Hinata then applied Chakra to the area, and Mitsuko felt a cooling sensation pushing through anything within the border of the ointment's application. When Hinata stopped applying Chakra, Mitsuko could feel some of her ribs beginning to move back into place, but the movement was rather minute.

"Sorry it isn't any faster." said Hinata. "The ointment is still in its development stages, and the rate of accelerated healing isn't very much. At best, I could only cut the healing time in half when I was going for 75 percent redcution. So right now, try not to make too many sudden movements and please don't overexert yourself."

"That's all right, Hinata." replied Mitsuko, putting her shirt back on completely. "One month of recovery is better than two."

"Still, you won't be mission-capable for a month, so that's kind of a problem, especially in this situation with Sasuke still knocked out. Regardless, the two of you will be considered incapacitated, and I have no choice but to call for a medevac."

"Will someone be able to respond?" asked Hinata.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable chance." replied Naruto, getting on the radio network.

------------------------

In the shelters within Hokage Mountain, Konohamaru was focused on trying to find the bathroom when he suddenly bumped into Mitarashi Anko.

"You all right, squirt?" asked the fishnet-clad Jounin.

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." droned Konohamaru, unable to take his eyes off of Anko's revealing clothing.

"Anko-sempai, I think you're hurting Konohamaru-kun's brain. Covering up or turning away might help a little bit." said Iruka, coming up to them with his AK47-S in hand.

"Wow. I didn't know I had that sort of effect." said Anko, chuckling as she turned away from Konohamaru. The academy student shook his head and continued off towards the bathroom.

"So how's the situation?" asked Iruka, stepping in next to Anko.

"We've evacuated all the civilian casualty risks." replied Anko.

"So it's time for Phase two?"

"You bet." finished Anko with a grin. "Time to see what that Soldier boy student of yours has done to give Konoha the edge."

-----------------------

In all areas around Konoha, A "Go" command was issued over the radio network. In response, nearly Armored Personnel Carriers, troop transports, and weapons platforms came out of concealed locations within Konoha and dispersed to respond to combat areas within the village. The vehicles were a mixture of Russian and American makes and models, ranging from M113's to Bradley AFV's, to former Soviet BMP-2 APC's with 30mm autocannons. Even a few units of the recently-introduced Stryker Mobile Gun System APC's were out and about, providing much-needed firepower for Konoha ninja that were now fighting armed not just with kunai and Shuriken, but with Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles, Colt M4A1 Carbines, and RPK machine guns as well as M249 Squad Automatic weapons. Soon, the overconfident forces at the gates around Konoha were being pushed back in the face of withering automatic fire. All this happened as Naruto summoned help on the radio.

"STAWAS Leader to Network, STAWAS Leader to Network, I'm requesting a medevac in the eastern sector! I have two people incapacitated, rendering us unable to resume combat as a complete unit. Please send medevac assistance ASAP, over!" called Naruto.

"ANBU East 1 to STAWAS Leader, we read you five by five. We can extract you and your personnel at 15 lateral and 65 longitude. Are you near the extraction point?" responded a voice.

"Affirmative, ANBU East 1." replied Naruto, looking at a nearby street sign. "I'll drop smoke to mark my location."

Naruto pulled out a green smoke grenade and tossed it into the street as it began billowing green smoke from the bottom of the grenade. Seconds later, a Browning M2-equipped Humvee screeched to a stop next to the alley. A few of its occupants dismounted, Naruto recognizing one with purple hair.

"Uzuki-san! Am I ever glad to see you!"

"Think nothing of it, Naruto. I am indebted to you for saving Hayate's life with that armor you introduced. I don't know what I'd do if he were gone."

"You're welcome. Now let's get my team loaded onto the vehicle. This place is gonna get hairy real soon. Is there a safe area where my team can be treated?"

"The hospital is still quite well protected with a couple of heavily armed checkpoints. They've got a couple of Humvees and Strykers there loaded to the brim with ammo."

"Then let's go."

As soon as Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Mitsuko piled onto or were loaded into the Humvee, Yugao smacked the side of the Humvee, and the driver stepped on the gas as they turned a corner and proceeded to the hospital.

------------------------

Back on the roof in the exam stadium, Arashi had grabbed hold of Orochimaru's arms as a ghostly hand from his stomach struggled to pull out Orochimaru's soul. Orochimaru responded by attempting to stab the Yondaime with Kusanagi, which Sarutobi had taken in the arm and would not let go of.

"You two fools think you can stop me?" asked the Snake Sannin. "Your efforts will fail, and Konoha will be ground into dust!"

"Merely wishful thinking on your part, Orochiamaru!" said Arashi. "Konoha's citizens will not stand idly by to watch their village go down in flames! The will of fire that burns within them drives them to protect their home, even if it costs them their very lives, both the young and old!"

Elsewhere, the clans were out in full force defending their homes and loved ones. Hyuuga Hiashi was using Kaiten to destroy the Suna ninja surrounding him, Inuzuka Tsume and her daughter, Hana were partnered up with their canine friends, tearing Oto ninja to pieces, the fathers of the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio were using signature family jutsu to kill and defeat the mix of Oto and Suna ninja they were defending against, and Aburame Shibi sucked the life out of Oto ninjas using his kikai bugs. And in the eastern sector of Konoha, Naruto and Hinata helped gun down the influx of Oto ninja who had made it past the village gate. Luckily, support arrived in the form of three Stryker MGS APC's containing Konoha Jounin equipped with AK-47's, AK-74's with GP-25 grenade launchers, Dragunov SVD Designated Marksman Rifles, and RPK machine guns, all of which were let loose on the invading ninja.

"Machine gunners, put down covering fire! Riflemen, push back those Otogakure bastards! Greadiers, walk some rounds into their reinforcements! Marksmen, take out their leadership! " bellowed a Jounin.

"We're on it!" responded the squad leaders. The pitifully unarmored Oto ninja stood no chance against the withering hail of 7.62 and 5.45mm rounds and grenades, and in less than a minute of joining the fight, the enemy advance was stopped cold. A few minutes after that, ANBU East 1 pulled into Konoha Hospital after clearing the checkpoints with ease. Medic-nins rushed out to get Sasuke and Mitsuko into the Emergency Room. No sooner had the two been hustled inside the building when one of the Konoha ADF Hind D's landed in a makeshift helipad within the hospital's thankfully-large courtyard, where Medical ninja rushed from the front doors of the Hospital to extract injured 3 injured men from the helicopter, one of which included the door gunner. Ryan opened his cockpit window to call out to Naruto over the noise of the helicopter blades.

"Hey, Naruto! I need a door gunner for a while, hop in!" shouted Ryan.

Naruto wasn't sure if he should leave his team behind, but Hinata offered to see them through their treatment.

"I'll let you know how they're doing, ok, Naruto-kun?" said Hinata.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan." replied Naruto, turning to leave.

"Be safe and return in one piece, you got that?"

"I will."

Naruto crouched during his sprint to the Hind D and dove into the cabin as the massive helicopter began lifting off the ground and into the air. Naruto waved to Hinata on the ground as he put on his headset and flipped the switch to get the barrels on his minigun rotating. The Hind D pitched forward and sped off to the eastern gate, where the three-headed snakes were still raising hell.

This time, they were to be put down for good with the helicopter's entire payload of Hellfire missiles, which Naruto had the job of guiding into their targets. As they approached their targets, Naruto held onto the spade grip of the Minigun in his hands. They flew over the mass of Otogakure ninja in retreat, and without hesitation, Naruto opened fire on them, a wicked beam of tracers homing in on their targets. The dust kicked up from the 7.62mm rounds concealed the fountains of blood created by the ninja felled by the minigun. Naruto was then given instructions to use the handheld laser designator attached to the minigun to guide the Hellfire missiles into the heads of the snakes. Naruto held down the button on the designator as the infrared laser 'painted' his target. Ryan got a clear acquisition tone for his Hellfires, and loosed one of them. The missile went forward for a few seconds before banking right to fly toward its target. Naruto held the laser in the correct position until the missile impacted, causing a large explosion that tore off one head of the three-headed snake. Naruto quickly swiveled the minigun and steadied the designator on another head, and another Hellfire missile quickly decaptitated it. Finally, as Naruto painted the last snake head, he let loose with the minigun, calling the snake's attention to the helicopter. The stream of tracer rounds tore away the tough scales of the snake before a Hellfire missile entered its mouth as it poised to strike the Hind D head-on. The head was cut into two from the explosion, finally killing the giant snake completely. After the corpse fell to the ground, the snake's body disappeared in a large bank of smoke while all in the Hind D whooped for joy. Naruto glanced at the stadium and his smile faded seeing the barrier still there.

"Ryan, drop me off at the stadium! I've got some business to take care of!"

"Don't do anything stupid!" replied the pilot, banking towards the exam arena. Ryan had a feeling that whatever Naruto was going to do, it would involve the barrier surrounding one of the Stadium roofs. As they approached the stadium, the rope was dropped, and Naruto slid down the rope even before the Hind came to a complete stop. The rope was detached, as per usual, and the Hind flew away while Naruto set up a sniping point on an adjacent roof. He summoned an Accuracy International AWP bolt-action rifle and flipped open the bipod and scope covers. Dialing in the correct magnification, he repeated everything he learned in sniper training. A five-round magazine was slapped into place as he cycled the bolt and chambered a round. He sighted one of Orochimaru's special bodyguards holding up a corner of the barrier, particularly an ugly-looking fellow with six arms, exhaled, and squeezed the trigger. The round hit the barrier, and then fell to the ground. However, all within the barrier had heard the shot, even the three fighters in the midst of a deadlocked struggle. Arashi smirked.

"You hear that, Orochimaru?" asked the Yondaime. "That's the cavalry. They're coming to send you to hell with a nicely-placed shot to the head."

"You are deluding yourself, you fool." spat the Snake Sannin. "By the time they get through, I will be long gone and both you and the old man will be finished. Besides, your so-called cavalry cannot possibly hope to defeat me."

"It's not like I was looking to live much longer, anyway. I'm doing this to get back to my wife because you interrupted us, asshole. And the cavalry is not run of the mill. Those shots are coming from a rifle belonging to my son, Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha Marksman! If I don't kill you, he certainly will. Your defeat is merely a stepping stone on his path to fullfilling his dream of becoming Hokage. And I know deep down that the boy is smart enough not to repeat any mistakes I made in life."

Arashi felt himself getting weaker by the second, but a cry of pain from one of the guards creating the barrier signaled that one of his son's shots had made it through the barrier and caused significant harm to one of Orochimaru's personal bodyguards. It was time to end the fight.

"Sarutobi, make sure Naruto knows that before I sacrificed my life a second time for the village, I told you that I was proud of him, that he is a credit to the Uzumaki Bloodline. Let him know that I wish for him to carry on the Uzumaki bloodline for generations to come."

"I will, Arashi."

"Good." finished the Yondaime, turning to Orochimaru. "And now, I will condemn you to a fate worse than death. Your quest for all the world's Jutsu will be useless without your hands..."

Arashi flashed through the proper hand seals and grabbed Orochimaru's arms, which began to turn dead and black.

"What are you doing, you fool!" hissed Orochimaru. "Undo this Jutsu now!"

"Too late." said Arashi with his last breath. The Yondaime died with a smile on his face as the Shinigami behind him took his soul, a spiral seal appearing on Arashi's navel marking the completion of the jutsu. His arms dead, Orochiomaru couldn't do anything against Sarutobi. There was only one option.

"Sound Four! Time to retreat!" shouted Orochimaru. Responding to their master's command, the four bodyguards that had created the barrier and held it in place surrounded Orochimaru. On the Arena floor, Kabuto, who was fighting with Genma, heard the call.

"That's my cue to leave." said the grey-haired ninja. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke as Orochimaru and his body guards took to the air. ANBU tried to stop their escape, only to be mucked up by a web shot from the mouth of the six-armed ninja. Naruto made his way onto the roof where the fight had taken place and emptied a pistol magazine when he was trying to stop the fleeing sannin and his entourage. He switched to his HK416 and used up its 30-round magazine, trying to will the bullets into exceeding their known effective range.

"Naruto...That's enough." said Sarutobi. The former turned around to face the injured Sandaime Hokage. The potent and lethal poison of Orochimaru's sword, Kusanagi, was flowing through his veins. Sarutobi collapsed, weakened from both Chakra exhaustion and from his wounds. Naruto called for help.

"MEDIC! SOMEONE GET A MEDIC! THE HOKAGE IS DOWN!"

The ninja in the stadium immediately began making their way to the roof. It was then that Naruto saw the smiling face of the once-again deceased Yondaime Hokage. He'd seen the pictures and a look of disbelief crossed his face. Sarutobi noticed the young ninja's face and began to speak.

"If you're wondering, Naruto, the person you see in front of you is Uzumaki Arashi, the Yondaime Hokage. If he were still alive, you'd probably be addressing him as 'Dad' right now, but he sacrificed his life for the second time while protecting the village." explained the old man.

"I don't understand..." said Naruto. "I thought he died when he sealed Kyuubi into me?!"

"It's a long story, Naruto." said Sarutobi, coughing a little blood out. "But I should live long enough to tell it to you in its entirety."

Naruto stepped back numbly as the ANBU medical ninja placed Sarutobi onto a stretcher and attempted to stabilize the old man's condition. Meanwhile, Naruto stared at the lifeless form of the person that was supposed to have fathered him.

'Why, "Dad"? Why did you leave me again? Why did you leave without saying anything to me?' thought Naruto, the tears in his eyes beginning to build. He held them back, remembering that he must not show emotion as a ninja. But it hurt him inside that his father would leave him once again without even speaking to him. Naruto wished to be acknowledged by his father, but that wasn't possible if he had already passed on, obviously. The genin was beginning to doubt himself. Was his father so ashamed of him because he brought outside technology into Konoha that he willingly died just to get away from his son?

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts when one of the ANBU medics called his attention.

"Uzumaki-san, the Hokage requested that you come with us to the hospital. However, we need to get there as quickly as possible."

Naruto nodded as he saw Ryan's Hind D fly over him. Naruto quickly produced a smoke grenade and tossed it out onto the Arena floor, the bulletproof glass having been struck and removed from the arena by the AAD ninja to make a usable LZ. The smoke caught Ryan's attention, and he circled to come in for a landing as the ANBU and medics brought Sarutobi down from the roof and onto the Arena floor. They carefully put the stretcher aboard in the cabin with help from the door gunner, and all the ANBU in addition to Naruto clambered aboard as the Hind D lifted off towards the Hospital. Naruto got on the same Minigun he had previously used and some ANBU sat with their legs dangling out the door, modified M16A3 rifles scanning for any threats to their transportation and principle. Luckily, they met no resistance on their way to the hospital, and it had taken all of five minutes to take off from the stadium and land in the Hospital courtyard, where medic-nin were waiting to recieve the Hokage. The ANBU jumped out of the helicopter first, forming a protective circle, which was rather unnecessary when the entire hospital was surrounded by sharpshooters, machine gunners, and two heavily-armed APC's. Better safe than sorry, Naruto concluded.

-----------------------

Minutes later, Naruto was outside Sarutobi's room, waiting on a bench alongside Jiraiya, who rushed over to the hospital the moment he heard the news. Naruto's head perked up when the doctors came out of the Sandaime's room. The doctors looked at Naruto and Jiraiya and shook their heads.

"We did all we could, but we don't expect him to live through the night. He asked to see the both of you as soon as we were finished."

Naruto and Jiraiya nodded and walked into Sarutobi's room. The Hokage was currently hooked up to an IV drip and EKG machine, and he had been stabilized enough that he would not need oxygen from an external source.

"You asked for us, Sarutobi-sensei?" inquired Jiraiya.

"That I did. I need to tell you something first, Jiraiya." replied Sarutobi. "I don't expect to live for much longer, so when I do pass on, will you take my place as Hokage?"

Jiraya mulled it over. As Hokage, he would have quite a bit of command over the village. But to be responsible for the lives of all those ninja, plus the paperwork involved... He would just not get any rest...

"I thought about it a little, sensei. I don't think I'm really cut out for it. I don't think I'm ready for that level of responsibility."

"Very well, then. I suppose the kunoichi of your team will have to be tracked down and convinced that she has to become Hokage. All right then, that is all for now. Naruto, I would like to speak with you next."

Jiraiya stepped out of the room to let the two speak privately. Naruto sat down next to Sarutobi's bed in a chair he picked up at the other end of the room.

"Are you settled, Naruto?"

"I suppose I am." replied the genin.

"All right, so exactly how your father came to sacrifice his life a second time happened in the battle between me and Orochimaru..."

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As Sarutobi explained the Yondaime's resurrection and subsequent second death, Hinata was in a hospital room talking with Mitsuko, who was now recovering from her wounds. Sasuke, meanwhile, was finally beginning to wake up.

"Oh, good. You've come to." commented Hinata. "Mitsuko-chan was worried about you."

"Ugh." blurted Sasuke.

"Not feeling well?"

"I feel like I got hit by a truck. How long was I out?"

"You were out for at least an hour or so." spoke Mitsuko. "Remember when we were fighting Gaara earlier? Well that thing he turned into slammed you into a wall. Surprisingly, you don't have a scratch on you, save for maybe a bump on the head. I wasn't so lucky."

"What?! What happened? Are you all right?" asked Sasuke frantically.

"I'm all right now, thanks to Hinata and Naruto's help. When you just got knocked out, I lost it and went crazy trying to attack that thing Gaara turned into. I bit off more than I could chew, and I ended up with a dislocated elbow, a couple of broken ribs, and my wound reopened. But thanks to Naruto's ice pack that reduced the swelling and Hinata's special ointment, I'm recovering in half the time it would take for my ribs to heal."

"What was the ointment for?" asked Sasuke, turning to Hinata.

"It's a Chakra-activated ointment that accelerates the healing process by accelerating cell regeneration. You can use it to heal almost anything." explained Hinata

"That's amazing!"

"It's still in its developmental stages, though. I've only cut recovery time in half when I was aiming for 75 percent reduction in recovery time."

"At least it's a step in the right direction. I didn't even know you were proficient in medicine."

"It's a hobby."

"Once you perfect the ointment, you'll be able to make millions off of that ointment if you sell it to hospitals and military medical sectors."

"Heh, I'll be a while before I get to that level."

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While the three genin were chatting, Sarutobi had finished telling Naruto the story of the battle. Naruto was in tears at this point, and Sarutobi thought that the boy was upset.

"Something wrong, Naruto?" asked the Sandaime.

"It's nothing, O...Oji-san. I'm just glad to know that my father is proud of me. I thought that he was ashamed because I disgraced the family by deviating from ninja weaponry and techniques and fighting my own way..." said Naruto, a small smile forming on his face.

"He wouldn't do that, Naruto. If anything, I believe he would encourage it. He said you'll surpass him and myself one day, and I concur. You've got your whole future ahead of you, and there's no telling just how quickly you'll progress."

"Thanks, Oji-san-- I mean, Sandaime-sama."

"Relax, Naruto. It's perfectly all right to be familiar with me. The way I look at things as Hokage, the entire village is like my family, and as Hokage, I have to protect them. Unfortunately, that brings me to the subject of my last order to you as Hokage."

"I'm all ears."

"My last mission for you is to go with Jiraiya in a few days and catch up with his Kunoichi teammate. Her given name is Tsunade, surname unknown. She is a few inches shorter than Jiraiya, with dirty blonde hair, wears a green jacket with the kanji for 'Gamble' on the back, and is often spotted with her assistant, Shizune, and pet pig, Tonton. Your job, which I know you are capable of, is to ensure their security and help Jiraiya convince Tsunade to return to Konoha."

"Why would she need convincing?"

"It's a sad story, really. Her little brother and fiance were killed before they could achieve their dreams of becoming Hokage. As a result, I'm sure she won't exactly see eye to eye with Jiraiya on becoming Hokage."

The two sat in silence for some time until Naruto asked something he was a little afraid to ask.

"Oji-san, this might be a little selfish of me to ask, but have you decided who will become Chunin?"

"I had a feeling you would ask that." said Sarutobi, chuckling. Naruto smiled sheepishly in response.

"Seriously though, don't worry about it. I've already made my selections, which will have to be enacted by my successor. Otherwise, things will sort of grind to a halt in some areas. And just so you know..."

"Yes?"

"You're one of the few getting to Chunin. Though the stunt you pulled at the exams says otherwise, I know you've got a pretty level head on your shoulders and you know how to lead a team. I heard from Yugao that you had kept your team alive in the eastern sector after they were injured."

"But doesn't the mission matter more?"

"Not true. I believe Kakashi said it to you when you were just starting out as a genin: 'Those who abandon their mission are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash.' He pounded that into your heads, did he not?"

"True, but what about the 18th rule of being a ninja? 'A ninja must not show emotion.', what about that? I was acting on emotion in both the preliminaries and the finals. Surely, there's some fault of mine in that!"

"Naruto, don't be stubborn. Sometimes, those emotions must be let out, otherwise, it will blow up eventually. Now don't look a gift horse in the mouth and accept your promotion into a Chunin once the Godaime Hokage takes office, all right? That's an order, soldier."

Naruto smiled and stood up as he saluted. "Understood, sir! Any further orders, sir?"

"That'll be all, soldier." replied Sarutobi with a smile and returning salute. "Dismissed."

Naruto turned on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving Sarutobi alone. Shutting the door behind him, he went to look for his team's room, which he soon found. Hinata was there, seeing as she would keep track of their status. Naruto was generally surprised to see Sasuke up and about. He had expected his pointman to be out cold for more than a day.

"Hey, Sasuke. Good to see you're up." said Naruto.

"Oh, Naruto! I didn't hear you come in." replied Sasuke, smiling sheepishly.

"Guess what? You've got gunsmith duty now. You charged in without thinking, and now Mitsuko's stuck in the hospital with a broken elbow and ribs. It's only fair that you do this."

"What?!" asked Sasuke in disbelief as Mitsuko and Hinata giggled. Sasuke looked at the two kunoichi, then back at Naruto. "Why do I have to clean the guns of the entire team? It's not like you got injured!"

"I suppose not." said Naruto. "But you owe me for getting your ass out of there in one piece. If you'd been a little more patient, maybe Mitsuko wouldn't be in the condition she is in right now, hmm?"

"That's not fair! You were taking so long, and then Gaara turned into that...Tanuki thing, and there was simply no way you'd get out of there unharmed!"

"But I still came back alive and in one piece, didn't I? Now enough drama and get to work with those guns already. Oh, and just so you know, I check for any... anomalies, shall we say, when I have someone else clean my gun. Don't try anything funny when you get to my AK, Sasuke. I get quite angry when someone defaces my weaponry, and it's not going to be pleasant." Turning to Hinata, Naruto said, "Hinata, watch with your Byakugan, if you must. I want to make sure he won't try anything."

Hinata smirked and shook her head. "Fine. Sheesh, you're so obsessive-compulsive when it comes to your weaponry!"

"That's just the way I am, dear."

Naruto walked out the door, Mitsuko watching with some disbelief. "_Dear_? You guys sound like you're married, already!"

"No wedding bells just yet, That'll be a while later, assuming my father and Neji will approve."

"You guys dating steadily?"

"I wouldn't say we've been dating, but we do hang around each other a lot."

"I'm all ears. Got any stories?"

As the two kunoichi began chatting about their male companions, Sasuke grumbled as he made a mess of field-stripping his assigned weapons. If only he'd learned properly from Naruto, then this would've been easier.

"(grumble)...Stupid Naruto, making me clean his own gun...(mutter)...Who does he think he is, anyway, bossing me around like that? Army brat asshole...(fume)"

--------------------------------------

Naruto stopped by Sarutobi's room to check on the Hokage when he heard a distinct tone coming from the room.

'That sound! It couldn't be... Shit!' thought Naruto. He yanked open the door, the tone getting louder and clearer as he neared the Sandaime's bed. The old man lay still, eyes closed, and when Naruto looked at the EKG machine, he saw a green, continuous flat line. Naruto rushed to the door and stuck his head into the hallway.

"Somebody help me! The Hokage's gone into cardiac arrest! Medic! Anyone! Someone, help!" yelled the genin.

'Where the hell are the ANBU that were guarding him?' thought the boy. 'Why would they leave him alone like this?'

Naruto's train of thought was cut short when some doctors came rushing from the hallway into the room with a defibrillator, some ANBU following behind them.

"Where were you guys?" asked Naruto in disbelief. "What happened to the guards that were supposed to keep watch in case of medical emergencies?"

"It was a shift change! How were we supposed to know?" replied a bird-masked ANBU.

"And isn't it a little suspicious that you were the only one in the room when we first hear about this? You did this, didn't you?" said a dog-masked ANBU.

"Are you fucking crazy? Why would I do that when he's one of the people I respect the most?"

"Yeah, sure. Drop the act, demon boy." spat the dog-masked ANBU.

"Hey, one, you're not supposed to say that crap, and two, you don't know that he killed the Hokage! How about you stop making such wild accusations? Naruto's a good kid!" reasoned the bird-mask.

"Yeah, a little too good." said dog-mask. "Time to start talking, kid!" he yelled, swinging a fist at Naruto. Naruto caught the man at the elbow, hooked his own hand behind the ANBU's head and sent his knee into his gut. The ANBU buckled, and Naruto spun the man's head clockwise in the palm of his right hand as he sent the ANBU to the floor, finishing by pinning the ANBU's torso down with his knee and pulling out his STI tactical, nudging the internally-compensated muzzle against his opponent's head.

"Still wanna fight?" asked Naruto.

"Go ahead. Pull the trigger, you little bastard. See what happens." replied Dog-mask.

"Don't even joke about that, 'cause you're really fucking tempting me."

"Satoshi, stand down. Uzumaki, release Satoshi and holster your sidearm." said a new voice. The two ANBU and Naruto looked up to see Yugao walking towards them, her mask pushed aside and strapped to her vest. Naruto complied with the female ANBU's wishes and got off of his opponent's torso after withdrawing and decocking his STI tactical.

"Uzuki-teichou!" said the one known as Satoshi. "Please, let me explain!"

"There's nothing to explain, Satoshi. I saw what you did. You aggresively attacked a lower-ranking Konoha ninja on false pretenses and he responded in kind by defending himself."

"Are you kidding me? He's a demon! A demon, I tell you!"

"What demon? I see no demon. Just two ANBU Black Ops ninja and a Konohagakure Genin who specializes in firearms."

"Well don't you find it a little suspicious that he was all alone with the Hokage when he went into cardiac arrest? I'm telling you--"

"Enough. Your prejudice against the Kyuubi no Kitsune has clouded your ability to think properly. In addition to that, you attacked a ninja loyal to Konohagakure without due cause. For this, you will be suspended from duty and docked a month's pay. I'm going to let your slip of the tongue go unnoticed, but if you do it again, I am throwing you in the damn brig and court-martialing you."

"This is absurd! You can't seriously--"

"Five weeks without pay. Care to make yourself any poorer? No? Then you are dismissed from your post. report to ANBU headquarters and change back to your Jounin gear."

The ANBU named Satoshi walked away. His partner in the bird mask watched him walk away.

"I didn't know he could be so hateful, that is, until now."

"That's the way things are, Kazuhiro." said Yugao to bird-mask. "Sometimes, you don't really see things until it's too late. I'll have to get someone else to fill in his place."

"I suppose. Seriously though, Naruto." said Kazuhiro, turning to the genin. "You swear that none of what Satoshi said is true, right?"

"On the graves of my ancestors, I swear." replied Naruto. Just then, one of the doctors came out with a somber look on his face. Nothing more needed to be said, no gestures made. The Hokage had passed on. The three outside the Hokage's room looked in to see their village's leader being covered by a white sheet and at this, they hung their heads. Tears began to spill from Naruto's eyes as he finally broke the silence.

"Moments like this make me wish I was an ANBU. At least you guys have a mask to hide your emotions with."

"That just makes it harder to let it out, Naruto." said Yugao. The unmasked ANBU team leader crouched down and embraced Naruto, who broke down on her shoulder as he let loose his anguish at the passing of one of the few persons who was cared for him early on in life.

Within hours, the village was in mourning upon hearing the news that their leader had passed on. None were more affected than Sarutobi Konohamaru, grandson of the Sandaime Hokage. He ended up crying himself to sleep that night.

_"Oji-san... Why did you leave us? It's just not fair..."_

To be continued...

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This has to be the second time in this series I've ended the story on a solemn note. However, I intend to rectify (which some of you may see as ruining) that mood with a couple of Omakes that I need to get out of my head.

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OMAKE: A will of fire enough for all of Konoha, a passion that would impress even Gai (Alternative title: Lucky Channel 17 reference)

_"I had to get you to fight me somehow." replied Gaara with a smirk, which soon faded. "I still don't know how you defeated me, though... How do you manage it?"_

_"First off, you are clearly a person who knows the value of deception in warfare. Second, There is no secret to power, unless you count the fact that I'm doing it to protect those who are closest to me, TO PROTECT MY PRECIOUS PEOPLE!" said Naruto, increasing his voice in volume as he ended his sentence._

_Naruto let out a roar, and suddenly, an aura of actual fire burst, outlining him, surprisingly not burning his clothes or gear off. Gaara was startled. What person spontaneously combusts like that?_

_"Um... someone help?! This guy in front of me just caught fire! And he's just laughing it off!" said Gaara to anyone within the vicinity who would listen. Sure enough, Sasuke regained consciousness to the smell of smoke and the feeling of heat. He saw Naruto, laughing heartily despite being engulfed in flames. Sasuke's eyes widened and he grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher he could find, which was inside someone's house. He pulled the pin and ran to Naruto._

_"Naruto! Stop, drop, and roll!"_

_This was all the warning that the burning genin had before he was doused in flame retardant chemicals from the fire extinguisher. The flames were put out, and the result was a few burn marks and some smoke or steam coming from Naruto's body._

_"Sorry, I may have gotten a little passionate there." apologized Naruto._

_"You're telling me!" replied Gaara_

_"How did you get to become on fire, anyway? It's not like you were soaked in gasoline, right?"_

_"I'm telling you, he just spontaneously combusted without warning!" said Gaara._

_"Sorry about that, I get a little pumped up at times. Anyway, the best way to make use of your power is to Protect Your Precious People! DRAW STRENGTH FROM YOUR WILL TO PROTECT THEM, AND YOU CAN BECOME AS POWERFUL AS A KAGE, RAAR!"_

_Naruto burst into flames yet again, and this time, Gaara threw sand onto Naruto while Sasuke ran the fire extinguisher dry trying to put out Naruto's 'Flames of youth'._

_------------------------------------------------------_

OMAKE: Too vague a description

_"Naruto. Listen closely. My last mission for you is to go with Jiraiya in a few days and catch up with his Kunoichi teammate. Her given name is Tsunade, surname unknown..." said Sarutobi, trailing off._

_"What does she look like, Oji-san?" asked Naruto._

_"S-she...has..." said Sarutobi, struggling to get the words out. His time had come._

_"Has what, Oji-san? Hang in there!"_

_"A...huge...rack." finished Sarutobi before collapsing, the EKG flatlining._

_"Oji-san, wait!" said Naruto, shaking Sarutobi. "A huge rack? How huge are they? C'mon, Oji-san! This is anime! That's too vague a description! Oji-san?! Oji-saaaaaan!!"_

_END_

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Hope you liked this chapter, it is at least 30 pages worth of text. Keep in mind, though, that this is an alpha version of the chapter. If any more edits are made, I will release a Beta version of this chapter, with twice the awesome you can squeeze out of this one.


	13. Tracking Tsunade Part 1

Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha Marksman Chapter 13: Tracking Tsunade Part 1

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shonen Jump, and Viz Media. All Trademarks featured herein are copyright their respective owners.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late! Between schoolwork, the holidays, writer's block, and a bunch of other things, I haven't been working on this as much as I should. Fear not! Konoha Marksman will **not** go cold! In fact, here is a chapter so big, it had to be split into two parts! Two! Anyway, happy holidays to all readers! Sorry, but I'm not making another KM Christmas!

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Naruto woke up in the morning without the usual enthusiasm he normally could face the day with. It had been a few days since Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, had passed away from cardiac arrest as a result of the poisons he was exposed to in the battle against Orochimaru, the traitor of Konoha's Legendary Sannin team.

Naruto was especially affected by the Hokage's departure as Sarutobi was one of the few people kind to him early on in his life, and ultimately made it possible for him to get where he is now. With a heavy sigh, he willed himself out of bed and shuffled over to the closet where he kept all his clothes and pulled out a black garment bag. First, he dusted off the garment bag's exterior, and then laid out the bag on his bed so he could unzip it. Inside was a set of funeral attire given to him when he first became a ninja. Despite having been to a funeral for a fellow ninja before, this would be the first time he wore it. Hanging it on a doorknob, he stepped into the shower and got ready for the day ahead. Half an hour later, Naruto had already ate breakfast, but he didn't as much as he normally would. Kyle, Ryan, and Ike joined him, similarly dressed, as he was about to leave Uzumaki estate. As they walked, Naruto silently watched Hokage Tower grow larger in his field of view, its roof already dotted with other funeral attendees. Many of the ninja stood according to rank, but Naruto chose to stand next to Iruka and Konohamaru, who was tearing uncontrollably. He hoped that he could find some way to console the boy, but that was going to be hard, considering he was feeling not much better than the academy student was about the loss of the Sandaime. Soon, the ceremony began with a eulogy from Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the Sandaime Hokage.

"The Sandaime Hokage - my father - was a good person to many of us." began the Jounin instructor of Team 10. It was one of the few times that his cigarette wasn't perched on his lips; he held it in between fingers now, as he spoke. "His colleagues and students knews him as 'The Professor' because of his vast knowledge of Konoha jutsu, and more often than not, he was a very patient teacher; it was not rare for him to be seen in the halls of the academy, taking time to help a young student master a basic jutsu. I think that was something he enjoyed, watching a student learn, and when a student would succeed, that student's joy was also his."

"In battle, he used his knowledge to protect and defend the village he called home. In his latter days, he would occasionally speak about the will of fire that burns in all of us, a will that drives us to fight and risk death in order to protect our loved ones, and those important to us. And he was right. Konoha stopped a surprise assault in its tracks and shoved it back just a few days ago, when the village was a scene of total chaos and destruction. Some may contribute it to advances in weaponry becoming a force multiplier, but I would like to think it is the work of that 'Will of Fire' my father talked about. And so today, we honor his teachings and legacy with this memorial service."

Asuma's eulogy gave way to the traditional flower-laying process, in which everyone present laid one white flower on the casket of the Sandaime Hokage. As they did so, some of the people present remenisced at least one moment in which they had been personally in contact with the Hokage. Ino remembered the time she and Sakura had gathered flowers and gave them to the Hokage just as he was passing by. Mitsuko thought back on the one time the Sandaime had taught her some exhibitionary tricks when she was learning to fight using wires. Hinata smiled and remembered the time she showed Sarutobi some of the creams and ointments she had worked on as a young child and he paid her for one ointment that was supposed to help re-grow hair but proved ineffective. Shikamaru remembered the one time that the Hokage had stalemated him in a game of Shogi. Chouji looked back on the time he and Shikamaru had to run like hell after they pranked the Hokage by setting up a water balloon trap in his path. Iruka remembered when the Hokage consoled him over his parents' death during Kyuubi's enraged attack. Konohamaru looked back on the days that he and his grandfather spent together, learning new things each day.

When Naruto's turn came, he found himself thinking back to a memory from a childhood that seemed like a separate life. It was his birthday, and he'd been given the ceremonial beatings by the villagers. And then, Sandaime asked him a simple question: "Naruto-kun, would you like to learn to defend yourself?" The day Sarutobi offered to send him to the United States for military training was burned into his memory as the defining moment of his life. Despite all the hardships and corporal punishment he endured, Naruto truly believed that in that moment, the Sandaime Hokage had saved him. A few tears fell from his eyes as he silently prayed for Sarutobi to live well in the afterlife, assuming there was one.

The ceremony was followed with closing remarks by Hotaru and Komura of the village council, and then the ninja present dispersed. Many of them had the day with no missions, and so decided to spend their free time with teammates and colleagues. However, Naruto lingered a while longer to help Iruka console Konohamaru.

"I just don't understand." said Konohamaru. "Why did Oji-san have to die?"

"Easy, Konohamaru." said Iruka, sensing the distress within the academy student's voice. "Everyone dies sometime in their life. It's just a part of the natural cycle in this world. Animals, plants, people, they are all born, and they all die sometime later in their lives. Nothing in this world is invincible, nothing can really live forever."

"Besides, he died doing his duty as a Shinobi." added Naruto. "Such is the cost of protecting the village and your precious people. Your grandfather died doing in what he believed in, which was being willing to risk your life in order to protect the village like Asuma-sensei, talked about. If either of us were to become Hokage, we would be obligated to do the same; to risk death so that others may live. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"I...I think so." replied the academy student.

"Then you will be Hokage one day. I'm sure of it." finished Naruto with a comforting smile. "Now, I hadn't really planned on it, but how about we all get together for a big dinner at my place?"

"We'll take you up on that then, Naruto." replied Iruka. Naruto grinned this time, bid them goodbye, and went to catch up with his teammates and his housemates. When they heard about the sudden increase in guests, Ryan caught Naruto's head in his arm and gave him a noogie.

"You knucklehead! You could have told us about this! We never planned on having company at the mansion!" scolded the pilot.

"But_I_ did! C'mon, let's get home!" said Naruto, breaking free. He broke into a jog as Kyle, Ryan, and Ike tried to keep up with him, Sasuke and Mitsuko trying to follow, with Kakashi shaking his head and pulling out his little orange book once again.

"Naruto! Wait up! I can't run in heels! And did you forget my ribs are still healing, _baka_?!" shouted Mitsuko.

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Several hours later, guests began arriving at Uzumaki Estate, where Naruto, with the help of his friends, team, and some Kage Bunshins had prepared a buffet-style banquet lunch with both local and international cuisines present and accounted for. The vast dining hall was filling up nicely, with guests starting to eat their fill of beef, potatoes, pork, chicken, fish, and so on. Beverages, both soft and hard drinks, were served to complement the meal. Long before Naruto had returned to Konoha, he had learned the value of hospitality, food preparation, and presentation from people he had interacted with over the years, and all that came into practice today. The guests at the table were amazed at the quality of the food that was elegantly laid out in Sterno-heated Buffet Casseroles. Kurenai in particular was quite fond of a dish involving Pork meat fried medium brown and seasoned with what tasted like soy sauce, garlic, and a hint of pepper.

"Naruto, whatever it is I'm eating, it's delicious! What is it?" asked the Team 8 Jounin instructor.

"It's actually a Filipino Dish called _Adobong Baboy_, which is Pork Adobo. I learned the recipe from my friend Ike, since he's originally from the Philippines. It's first slow-cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns, vinegar, and bay leaf. After that, it's pan-fried to get that tender, slightly crispy texture."

"I love it! How did you learn how to cook like this?"

"Military life takes you places, and since a person cannot live on bread, water, and rations alone, I had myself learn various cuisines. From my experiences, the best-tasting recipes do not come from a cookbook, but the experience of seeing it prepared by the people that came up with it in the first place. So when I was in the Middle East during Ramadan, which is like their holy month, I learned how to make a lamb meat dish called Rooz Ma Lahem, which literally means Rice with Meat. I actually have some in the buffet line if you're interested."

"I think I'll try that. A job well done, Naruto."

And so the dinner went on well into the evening, the Uzumaki estate alive with activity as the ninja unwound from the day, changed out of some parts of their formal garments and took the time to talk with each other, swap stories and generally bullshit with each other. Some opted to try their hand with firearms, and so shots were being fired at the firing range within the Uzumaki estate property. The firing range was beginning to emulate the famous Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot of Kentucky in the southern United States, considering much of the weaponry being fired was fully-automatic and the targets were not just metal silhouettes, but also old appliances and random pieces of junk. Asuma had tried it for himself, and Naruto even got a picture of Team 10's instructor hamming it up by posing with tinted aviator sunglasses, a lit cigarette, and a freshly-emptied M60 Light Machine gun, complete with smoke wafting from the barrel. Iruka had some fun as he yelled "GET SOME!" at the top of his lungs as he started blasting away at a broken-down air conditioner with an AKMS Folding stock assault rifle equipped with a 75-round RPK Drum magazine, a wide grin threatening to split his face in two the entire time. Finally, it was beginning to get dark, and the ninja present had a final round of drinks and food before going home for the night. During that time, Gai proposed a toast, getting everyone's attention by tapping his glass rapidly with a spoon.

"Let us have a toast to end the night with!" said the Team 9 leader as everyone present raised their glasses.

"To the Sandaime Hokage! The greatest Hokage who ever lived!"

All present replied with "Cheers!" before clinking their glasses together and downing their drinks. It was getting late, and some of them had work in the morning, so they left while some stayed behind to clean up and help Naruto and co. put everything back into order. Some of their drinks began to take effect, specifically in the case of Asuma and Kurenai, who wobbled slightly as they bid everyone good night and walked and stumbled back to Kurenai's apartment together.

--------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Asuma woke up with a slightly throbbing head and general confusion as to where the hell he was. Opening his eyes, he squinted from the sudden volume of light as his surroundings came into focus. The room he was in was painted white on the ceiling and walls. Looking down, his body was encompassed by a white sheet, finding that he was down to his boxers upon further inspection of his situation.

'Why am I in my boxers?' thought the Jounin instructor. At that moment, a twinge of pain took his head and he propped himself up as he tried to massage away the pain. His left hand came into contact with something round, squishy, and slightly jiggly. This had to be the strangest pillow he ever touched.

'Wait a minute...' thought Asuma at that moment. 'Pillows don't jiggle...'

Asuma patted his hand twice on the surface of the object in question as he tried to figure out what it was. this time, he first heard an unmistakably feminine squeak of surprise followed by what sounded like a low moan of arousal.

'And pillows sure as hell do not squeak or moan like a woman.' concluded Asuma. He slowly turned his head and followed his arm down to his hand, which was apparently resting on Kurenai's right breast, covered only by the clingy bedsheet covering her body. And from what his hand was telling him, she was absolutely naked under that sheet. Slowly, he pulled his hand away and turned away from the woman sleeping next to him. He swung his feet onto the floor and sat on the side of the bed, trying to piece together exactly what happened. The moment he came upon an explanation for his current state, he grinned slyly.

'Oh, yes.' thought the Jounin. 'They call me "Awesome Asuma-sama" for a reason, and this is it.'

Asuma's ego-boosting thoughts were interrupted by a sudden coughing fit, which caused Kurenai to stir next to him. She took a few seconds to confirm where she was and then she turned onto her right side. Asuma felt the movement and turned to face Kurenai.

"Oh, Kurenai, did I wake you up? My bad." said Asuma.

Kurenai blinked silently, and her eyes went wide as she realized that she had no clothes on under the sheet. And since she couldn't quite discern who was speaking to her, one reaction took hold.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEK! PERVERT! RAPIST! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" screamed Kurenai, jumping out of the bed with the bedsheet wrapped around her. She pulled open a drawer on her bedside table and began flinging various weapons at Asuma, who had jumped up and off the bed, still in nothing but his boxers, trying to dodge everything.

"Kurenai, don't you recognize me?" asked Asuma.

"I don't even know who the hell you are!" responded the panicked kunoichi.

'She must not recognize me since I don't have my Hitai-ate on.' thought Asuma. He ducked down and picked up his Hitai-ate on the floor and hastily tied it around his head.

"How about now? Do I look familiar?" asked the Team 10 instructor. A Shuriken then bounced off of his Hitai-ate, accentuating Kurenai's answer.

"The hell you do! Who are you, why are you in your boxers, and why am _I_ naked? You slipped something in my drink last night, didn't you? You disgusting bastard! If I find out you did something to me, I'm gonna take pleasure in slicing your balls off! How do you even know my name is Kurenai?"

"Wait!_Please_, please do not slice my balls off! You know who I am, Kurenai-chan!" said Asuma frantically. Dodging furniture being thrown at him now, he ducked down after swiping a cigarette and a lighter and popped up as he took a puff. He exhaled, trying to get Kurenai to recognize him.

"See, see?" asked Asuma, waving around the cigarette in his hand. Kurenai blinked and put down the vase she was about to throw at her boyfriend.

"Oh, it's you, Asuma. I didn't recognize you without your usual cigarette and gear. Sorry about that." said Kurenai, blushing with embarassment at both her behavior and current state of undress.

"It's fine. It's my bad for not having one in my mouth when I woke up." said Asuma, before coughing again. "God, I need to cut down on these." he added before taking another puff. The two sat on the bed once again, talking about their current situation.

"So for some reason, I'm still in my boxers while you're stark naked under those sheets." said Asuma. "You think we might've..."

"..Done the horizontal tango?" finished Kurenai. "Probably. This isn't the first time we've done it."

"Yeah, but all those other times, we were sober and thus used protection."

"You don't mean..."

"Uh-oh."

Quickly, Asuma and Kurenai searched the bed and the area around it. In a few seconds, never were the two so glad in their lives to find something as disgusting as a rumpled piece of latex that was a used condom. The two were beginning to relax when the two heard a knock at the door. When Kurenai looked through the peephole, she panicked and hissed for Asuma to hide. The moment he had hidden, Kurenai put on a large, loose-fitting shirt that covered much of her body, and put her panties on before opening the door.

"Yo, Kurenai." said Kakashi. "Is something the matter here?"

"No, no, not at all!" answered the kunoichi. "Everything's fine!"

"But we heard you screaming!" piped in Gai. "You sure everything's ok?"

"Aboslutely! Just a slight nightmare, is all!" finished Kurenai, laughing nervously before slamming the door shut in their faces. Kakashi and Gai shrugged and headed back to their respective apartments about one floor down. Asuma, hidden behind a couch, let out a sight of relief.

"They can't afford to know just yet that we're dating, much less sleeping with each other." said Kurenai. "Kakashi would never let us hear the end of it."

"I hear that." replied Asuma, walking over to the kitchen. "Breakfast?"

"That'd be nice."

-----------------------------------

Meanwhile, at Uzumaki Estate, Naruto was testing his attempt at improving his armor to provide resistance against Chakra-based attacks. He had inscribed a seal on his plate carrier that would allow it to store protective chakra for a set period of time. To activate it, all he would need to do was swipe some blood over the seal and then tap it once to activate it, and again to stop its effects unless he decided to run it dry. He sent it down the range after activating it and prepared a Beta-C drum magazine for his HK416 to torture-test the modification. Naruto locked a round into the chamber, set the 416 on full automatic and ripped away at his target. A stream of chakra-coated rounds sped at the vest and were ready to pierce it when a glowing green barrier seemingly flattened the rounds in their tracks and dropped the rounds onto the ground. By the time Naruto had run the magazine dry, there were exactly 100 mangled slugs on the floor, not a single one of them having even made so much as a depression in the fabric of the body armor carrier. Naruto was impressed. If this is what happened to the rounds with his own Chakra, imagine what would happen to the rounds with Kyuubi's chakra.

'_Kyuubi, I'd like some of your chakra for an experiment.'_ spoke Naruto to his inner tenant.

**'I knew you were gonna ask that sooner or later. Fine, you can have some, but that's all for now.'** replied the fox demon.

_'Thanks.'_ finished Naruto, feeling the fox's chakra flow into his system. He hastily created the same seal on the left side of the plate carrier and pumped Kyuubi's chakra into it before activating the vest, this time powered by Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto went back to the firing line and picked an AK-47 up with a 75-round drum magazine this time, chambered a round, set it to full auto, and let loose. This time, the rounds did not merely flatten, but were in fact blown to pieces by the explosive force of the Kyuubi no Kitsune's chakra. When Naruto finished the drum magazine, he was astonished to find that using the Kyuubi's chakra, the chakra-coated rounds were not only stopped in their tracks, but they were injected with Kyuubi's chakra by the armor and being unable to contain it, the bullets ruptured, rendering them useless.

"Amazing." said Naruto. "With this technique, I just might be able to match Neji's Kaiten."

Naruto brought back the vest and strapped it on, knowing that later today, he would be leaving on his mission to help Jiraiya find Tsunade and convince her to return to Konoha. He closed up the gun range and began sealing a few weapons into some scrolls, including his Hellfire Fox, his Rocket/ Ammo drum scroll, and his specialized Glock 18's. In a second scroll, he sealed a small ammo dump's worth of spare ammunition for whatever weapons he was carrying. In fact, he decided to store many items into scrolls so that he could fit them into his NVA pack, and his weapon scrolls were placed in pockets on his tactical vest. Thus, he could travel lightly while still being able to get the comforts of home while on the road. It was a long way from his days as a mercenary, when he could only bring whatever he could carry on his person and/or in a pack. Then he got to thinking, 'How much of this stuff do I really need?' and removed some of the scrolls carrying things such as unecessary electronics. He wouldn't really have much of a reason to use a personal laptop while on his trip unless he were a businessman, so that would be staying behind.

Next to go was his camping stove. He could build a cooking fire easily out in the wilderness with some tinder and a rifle scope, one of which was already mounted on the DSR-1 Tactical Precision Rifle in his weapon scrolls. plus, Since he was carrying MRE's, he would have a flameless ration heater with him to help cook his meals. Naruto continued going through his gear, cataloguing everything he would and would not need.

---------------------------

Two cloaked figures sat at a table in a local Dango shop, discussing the events of the day thus far.

"Konoha's security has been quite elevated since I was last here."

"No arguments here. That guard actually looked intimidating. That is, until you let him sleep."

"As for that thing he was holding... what was it? It looks like some type of weapon I've never seen before."

"Whatever it was, I doubt it could outdo my Samehada."

The other speaker was about to say something when voices outside silenced them. Kakashi was engaging in conversation outside with Asuma and Kurenai.

"Hey, Kakashi!" greeted Asuma. "What are you doing here?"

"Just picking up sweets for someone." replied the copy-nin.

"Hm? Well then, who's the lucky lady?"

"I'm not at liberty to say. How about you guys? You on a date?"

Asuma and Kurenai glanced at each other quickly, and then the two blushed.

"What? Can't two colleagues of different genders go to a sweet shop together without people assuming they're dating?" replied Kurenai. Much to her annoyance, Kakashi simply smiled under his mask. Suddenly, all three of them felt a strange intangible force. They turned their eyes to where the cloaked figures had been sitting, only to find an empty table with an empty teacup and used Dango skewers. Kakashi turned his attention back to Asuma and Kurenai.

"You guys sense that?"

"Yeah." replied Asuma. "There's no mistaking it. It's those two."

"So what do we do from here?" asked Kurenai.

"We take 'em down." replied Kakashi. "Times like these, we have to use what advantages we've got. You guys put in any range time as of recently?"

"Every day for the past week. I've got my old man's Python in a holster and a Remington '870 plus shells sealed in a scroll. As always, I've got my kunai, shuriken, and trench spikes."

"Good. Kurenai, how about you?"

"I picked up an UZI in the armory, and I've got an MP7 plus spare mags for backup. I'm carrying the usual equipment in addition. What about you, Kakashi?"

"Hmm... I've got a P90 and a USP Tactical. Plenty of mags, plus extras inside sealing scrolls."

"So what's the plan?" asked Asuma.

"We shadow them." replied Kakashi. "We make sure there's no risk to any nearby civilians, we isolate them, and then we strike."

With that, the three became blurs as they leapt away from the scene.

-------------------------

Back at Uzumaki estate, Naruto had finally sorted out what he would be packing. He brought some firestarters made of dry paper slathered in petroleum jelly, a Zippo windproof lighter, his sealed weapons, a sleeping bag, and a quick-assemble tent. His food consisted of rations, canned goods, and rice. A mess kit was sealed into the scroll containing his food supplies in order to reduce the load. With these items placed in a backpack secured to MOLLE-equipped plate carrier, he went to his door and was ready to leave when he found Jiraiya at his doorstep.

"Hey there, Ero-sennin."

Jiraya sucked in a breath thru gritted teeth. _It's Toad Sage, dammit._ "You ready to go, Naruto?"

"Absolutely. I'm ready to ship out at a moment's notice."

"Let's go then."

Naruto locked the door behind him as he followed his new teacher out into Konoha itself. As they walked, Naruto chambered a round into his HK416 and his sidearm, the usual STI Tactical 6.0. The two soon passed through the gate and were off to find Tsunade.

------------------------

In Kakashi's apartment, the Jounin sensei of Team 8, 9, and 10 were gathered around Kakashi, who was unconscious on his bed. Their battle with one Uchiha Itachi and his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame had ended in something of a stalemate. They had the majority of the advantage in battle with their weaponry, something that the two Akatsuki members were not prepared for. However, Kurenai had tried to capture Itachi in a genjutsu, only to have it countered and placed in her own genjutsu. It took a graze from an errant round during the firefight for her to snap out of it in time to avoid having her throat slit. Kakashi delayed his response until the timing was right and let loose on Itachi with his P90, but since he wasn't trying to punch through armor, the small-caliber, high-velocity rounds of the submachine gun did not have much effect on his target, save for a few minor gunshot wounds. Kakashi ended up locked in a Sharingan battle and lost, saved only by the assistance of Asuma, who drove Itachi off with a well-placed shot from his Colt Python, and Gai, who stepped in to fend off Kisame.

Now, the three were watching over Kakashi when they heard someone at the door. It was Sasuke.

"What's going on here?" asked the boy. "Why is Kakashi-sensei stuck in bed?"

The three jounin looked at each other and quickly came up with an answer.

"Hangover." said the three in unison.

"Strange." said Sasuke. "I never really thought Kakashi-sensei would be one to drink heavily."

"It's not just that." added Kurenai. "He, um, tried to lay his hands on a girl when she said no. And he was drunk at the time, so... you know, he got knocked out."

"Well, now that, I can see happening." said Sasuke. At this, the three Jounin sighed in relief. Suddenly, someone else appeared behind Sasuke. It was one of the other jounin, this time, a man with wraparound sunglasses named Aoba.

"IS IT TRUE WHAT I HEARD? DID UCHIHA ITACHI AND HOSHIGAKI KISAME COME AND TRY TO ABDUCT NARUTO?"

"Goddamn it, Aoba." said Gai. Sasuke, who heard the announcement, swore and ran out the building.

"Where's he going--oh. Oh crap."

"There's no stopping him now." said Asuma. "He'll evade us all. Still, we have to try, but since this is your mess, Aoba, you track him down."

Aoba nodded and attempted to chase after Sasuke, who had already been long gone from the area.

-----------------

Back at the Uchiha compound, Sasuke dove onto the floor in his bedroom and reached under his bed for a gun case. He pulled out the AK-47 Naruto had given him, the RPK drum magazines, and the standard 30-round magazines, which he put in a magazine bag that was hurriedly draped across his body. He snapped the fire selector into full automatic, chambered a round, and then sped out in order to find Naruto. He had thought to ask Kyle, Ryan, and Ike where Naruto was headed, and they responded that the blonde was headed off on a trip with Jiraiya to a local trading town. Now that he had his weaponry, Sasuke took off out of the village in pursuit of Jiraiya and Naruto. With luck, he would be able to catch them as they entered any possible lodgings instead of having to look in each hotel.

"Dammit, Naruto. Don't get killed on me." said the Uchiha to himself.

-----------------

"Kisame, stop here. I need to patch myself up, and so do you." said Itachi.

"All right, but don't strain yourself. We still have a mission to do."

The two fleeing Akatsuki members stopped in a wooded clearing to deal with their wounds. Both were surprised to learn firsthand how much it sucked to get shot anywhere. Itachi was having some difficulty with his wounds despite the fact that they went clean through and in non-vital areas. Kisame, on the other hand, had a .357 Magnum slug in his calf, making it very painful to move. Itachi, still posessing more Chakra than Kisame, moved to seal up his wounds with healing Chakra before using it again to remove and patch up Kisame's leg wound.

"A few minutes rest, and then we continue tracking them." said Itachi. "I don't want them getting too far."

"From the looks of it, they're headed in the direction of Tanzaku Gai. Meanwhile, they'll probably be staying in this nearby training town awhile." commented Kisame.

An idea popped into Itachi's head. "I think I have a way to get that sannin away from our target..."

------------------

Naruto and Jiraiya were just checking into an inn when Naruto heard Sasuke calling out.

"Naruto!"

"Huh? Sasuke? What are you doing here?" asked Naruto.

"Thank god you're all right." said the Uchiha. "I heard that my brother was after you."

"Your brother? But why?"

"He works for an organization known as Akatsuki." said Jiraiya, cutting in. "I don't believe anyone told you about this, Naruto, but that organization is known for hunting down Jinchuuriki to get the Tailed Bijuu inside of them in order to harness their power."

"Which makes me one of their targets." said Naruto. "Wonderful. Come what may, I'll take 'em on!"

"My brother isn't one to be taken lightly." said Sasuke. "He murdered the rest of the Uchiha Clan, you can only imagine what he'll do to you!"

"Then you're gonna help me, right? I didn't hand you that Kalashnikov just to let it gather dust in your house."

"Right." said Sasuke, smirking. "I hope I'm not being a burden, Jiraiya-sama." said Sasuke, turning to the Toad Sannin. "Jiraiya-sama?" said Sasuke, not getting a response. He followed the pervert's slack-jawed stare to see a drop-dead gorgeous woman with a purple halter top and matching dangerously-short miniskirt, finished off with cherry-red heeled sandals. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but stare as well, Naruto joining in. The three grinned when the woman winked at them with a friendly smile and curled her index finger at them in a 'come hither' motion. this triggered various reactions from the three men, Naruto gasping for air out of excitement,Jiraiya running in place, and Sasuke chuckling as he bled from the nose a little. Jiraiya snapped Naruto and Sasuke out of their lustful gazes by handing Naruto the keys to the room and Sasuke his pack.

"You two go on ahead to the room, I've got me a date." said the lecherous sannin.

"Hey! No fair, Ero-sennin!" said Naruto. "Why do you get all the fun?"

"Need I remind you both that you are in relationships?" said Jiraiya with a sly grin. Naruto and Sasuke paled.

"Oh crap, you're right!" said Sasuke. "If word about this reached Mitsuko and Hinata..."

"They'd kill us! Or worse!" finished Naruto.

"That's right." said Jiraiya victoriously. "Now unless you feel like getting your dangly bits sliced off by your girlfriends--"

"Fine, fine, we're going." said Naruto dejectedly. The two boys shuffled off to the room while Jiraiya took the woman's arm and went off into the town. Sasuke tossed Jiraiya's pack onto one of the beds and unloaded his AK-47. Naruto did the same with his carbine, field-stripping it. A reliable gun though it may be, Naruto was always taught to clean his weapons regularly, so that they would work whether or not he needed them. Sasuke did the same, asking for the cleaning rod and boresnake when Naruto was finished with his carbine. While Sasuke cleaned his stripped-down weapon, Naruto consulted his notes, which he was gathering to help him create a new jutsu. His notes included an excerpt on the abilities of Kunoichi. It read:

"Historically, Kunoichi were --and in some cases still are-- trained differently than male ninja. In the past, their training focused more on disguise, poisons, and using their gender to an advantage. While they were trained in close combat, they were only to make use of this knowledge when they were caught. They would usually disguise themselves as geisha, prostitutes, entertainers, fortunetellers, and the like to get very close to the enemy. Generally, they would seduce the soon-to-be victim and when they get close enough, they would poison them. The role of modern Kunoichi has changed since then, relegating them to front-line combat alongside males, usually in three-person teams with one Kunoichi to every two male ninja. However, in more clandestine missions, such as that of espionage, Kunoichi often fall back on the basic principles that they were historically trained on. Typically, this means using the advantages and attractions of their gender to get close to the enemy, garner information, and when the time is right, eliminate the enemy.

-anonymous shinobi doctrine"

Under this excerpt, Naruto had jotted down some notes:

"The experimental jutsu requires the following:

-the ability to create and use female sex appeal

-knowledge of the female anatomy (preferably through ethical means)

-elements of attraction (i.e.: generous, but not exaggerated "endowments", ideal physique, warming and outgoing personality and/or seductive qualities)

-the ability to use the jutsu even as a temporary distraction

If all these factors are in place, one can easily assume the jutsu will have a high success rate, except in the cases where a homosexual male may be encountered. However, it is possible for the jutsu to work on homosexual females as well."

Naruto smiled upon looking over his notes. His eyes turned to his left, glancing at Sasuke, who was still in the process of cleaning every inch of his AK-47. This was going to be fun, using his teammate as his first test subject. Deftly, Naruto went through the hand seal sequence he created himself, ending the sequence in the Ram seal. Because he wanted the element of surprise, a silent flash of smoke signified the transformation.

Sasuke was finishing up in assembling his AK-47 and had placed the reciever cover atop the weapon. He then turned to the bed where Naruto was to return the cleaning tools, only to find that his blonde-haired teammate was not in that location anymore.

"Naruto? Where'd you go?" asked Sasuke.

"Guess who?" said a feminine voice from behind. Sasuke found his eyes covered all of a sudden, and whoever was doing it wouldn't let them budge. Sasuke flailed around, trying to find the person doing this to him.

"Naruto, this is not the time to dick around. I swear to god, I am gonna smack the crap out of you if-- Aha! Found you!" threatened Sasuke, sensing the person behind him. The Uchiha reached his hand behind him, his hand landing on something soft, fleshy and... jiggly? Sasuke, unsure of his grasp, squeezed, eclicting an aroused coo from whoever was behind him. Something was definitely strange here.

"Well, I never suspected that you were so... _eager_ around women, Sasuke-kun!" said the feminine voice, now beginning to sound awfully familiar. Sasuke pulled the hands covering his eyes off his face and turned to see the last person he expected to meet at this time.

"M-MITSUKO?!" stammered Sasuke, shocked.

"Give the man a cigar." purred the girl seductively. Sasuke scrambled backward, not believing what he was seeing. It was his teammate Mitsuko, with some noticable changes in character, physique, and attire. For some unknown reason, she seemed to have matured physically. Her bust had increased, but to a realistic and believable point without surgical implants, her waist was curvier, and her hips now bore a seductive sway as she slowly walked towards him. Her clothing had changed from her usual pants, vest, shirt and undershirt to a long-sleeved midriff-baring baby tee with a low-cut v-neck that clung to her upper body a little, shin-high Go Go boot-styled versions of the standard ninja sandals, and the piece d'resistance, dangerously short hot pants that any red-blooded male could not take his eyes off of. Sasuke was no different, his eyes focusing on those short shorts before Mitsuko crouched down in front of him, giving him a glimpse of her now-inviting cleavage before calling his attention to her face by cupping his chin with her slender fingers.

"Now now, you don't need to do that, Sasuke-kun." said Mitsuko angelically. "If you promise to be a good boy, you'll get a generous reward. So are you gonna be good, or am I going to have to... _discipline_ you?"

Sasuke nodded dumbly, at a loss for words.

"I take it you'll be a good boy then?" said Mitsuko. "Wonderful. Now just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show."

The blue-haired bombshell turned and took a few steps away from Sasuke, the Uchiha focusing on her firm butt swaying sexily as she stepped. Her back to her audience, she stripped off the baby tee and threw it onto Sasuke's face. Sasuke's view was suddenly obscured, and he felt another rumple of clothing land on his head. He took both pieces of clothing off of his face and was startled to note that they were the hot pants and baby tee she was wearing just a few seconds ago. He looked up, and Mitsuko was nowhere in sight. That is, until she called his attention.

"Over here, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke turned to his left and saw something overwhelming. Mitsuko posed against the wall, using one arm to cover her chest, the other to drop her now-unclasped bra. The only article of clothing left on her was her black panties, and if this kept up, nothing would be left...

"Like what you see, Sasuke-kun?" purred Mitsuko, slowly removing her arm from her chest. The appearance of a topless Mitsuko was the straw that broke the camel's back, causing Sasuke's eyes to roll into the back of his head. as he fell to the ground, a torrent of blood rushed explosively out of his nose as he hit the floor, legs flying up momentarily. Mitsuko was smiling, then snickering, then finally laughing out loud as "Mitsuko" transformed back into a fully-clothed Uzumaki Naruto.

"Excellent." said Naruto to himself, a grin lingering on his face. He pulled out his notepad and recorded the data on this test:

"Seductive Impersonation Test- Target: Uchiha Sasuke

Disguise Success: 100 percent

Distraction Success: 100 percent

Notes/Observations: Subject was completely transfixed on outer appearance, forgetting to check for even the most obvious signs of a genjutsu; I think I may have gone too far by stripteasing as 'Mitsuko'. In order to do this jutsu, however, one must be able to get over the shock of changing gender completely, right down to the internal organs. It's a very strange feeling, and one that will certainly take getting used to. If what I've heard is true, then I probably don't want to change into a girl when it's 'that time of the month' for her, as I have no idea what would be in store for me then."

Naruto flipped his notepad closed and pulled up Sasuke's unconscious form to lean the Uchiha against the wall to let the boy recover. The silence was soon broken by knocking at the door of the room. Naruto, though not ridiculously paranoid, still turned off the safety on his STI Tactical despite his assumption that Jiraiya had been dumped by that woman from earlier. He looked through the peephole, and much to his chagrin, it wasn't Jiraiya at the door, but two faces from the bingo book that he knew very well. A decision-making process ran through his head at light speed.

'Okay.' thought Naruto. 'Don't try anything yet, play it cool, cool as a cucumber.'

Naruto steeled himself to face the two Akatsuki members, with currently nothing more than a flimsy door that could easily be destroyed separating him from the hostiles on the other side. Naruto took a deep breath and opened the door slowly, the chain lock limiting how far the door could be opened.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, under orders of our leader, we are to take you with us. Please don't resist, or you'll only make things harder for yourself." said Itachi.

"Interesting introduction. You fellas have names?"

"Our line of work doesn't exactly stress courtesy, but if you must know, I'm--"

"Uchiha Itachi. And let me guess, blue boy over here is your partner, Hoshigaki Kisame."

"What was the point of asking?"

"Just testing you guys. Look, I'll go peacefully, you have my word. You've got me cornered in a room with no easily-accessible escape route. Just let me get my stuff, and I'll walk with you boys."

"You get a minute and a half." said Kisame, brandishing Samehada. "Any longer, and we'll have to come in there, and I chop one of your legs off."

"Fair enough." finished Naruto, walking inside the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I don't think that was very smart of us to do." said Kisame.

"Says the man who gave our target a minute and a half to 'gather his things'." replied Itachi. "If he does try anything, we'll deal with him and quick."

-------------

Inside the room, Naruto checked to make sure that there was a round in the chamber of his sidearm, which there was, and grabbed his loaded carbine from the bed. He then shook Sasuke awake, trying to get his teammate to focus.

"Sasuke. Sasuke! Wake up." hissed Naruto. The Uchiha slowly came to, wiping the drool from his lips and the leftover blood from his nose. "Grab your gun, Sasuke." added Naruto. "Itachi and his partner are right outside the door!"

"WHAT?! Itachi?! I'm gonna--mmph!" Sasuke began to roar before Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh. You know these walls are paper thin, and in less than one minute, they're gonna break down the door and his fish-man partner is going to cut us to pieces. So here's what we're gonna do..." replied Naruto, beginning to whipser into Sasuke's ear.

-------------

"Time's up." said Kisame.

"Shall we go in, then?" asked Itachi

"On my mark. 3...2..."

Itachi never got out the last number as he and Kisame were flattened by the hotel room door suddenly coming down on them with Naruto and Sasuke, guns blazing, atop it. The two had devised a plan to kick the door down while firing at it, and staying on target by riding the door as it fell. The idea was that the rounds coming through the doors in addition to the door itself would cause enough bodily harm to their opponents that Itachi and and Kisame would have to beat a hasty retreat. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as the two genin had to leap away, narrowly missing Samehada piercing the remains of the door and then cleaving it in two. Naruto and Sasuke were thus at one end of the hallway while Itachi and Kisame were just beginning to get up. It appeared that the Akatsuki pair were still able to function in battle, albeit not with comfort. The two Akatsuki members experienced the pain of taking bullets for the second time that day, even though they were hit in superficial areas. Naruto and Sasuke opened up with another volley of rounds, and Itachi and Kisame were forced behind a wall for cover. Itachi felt it was time to retaliate, and so he set about using one of his strongest attacks. He poked his head out as he heard Naruto stop firing and change magazines, and in one quick shot, caught the Kyuubi container in the depths of the Tsukuyomi. Naruto's mind was seized, and the blonde went limp, his automatic carbine and the magazine he was about to load clattering to the floor. Sasuke noticed this and placed down some retreating fire as he dragged Naruto behind the corner. The Uchiha now had two things to worry about: destroy his older brother, and get Naruto to snap out of the genjutsu he was in.

"Naruto! Naruto, snap out of it! It's only a genjutsu!" shouted Sasuke. Naruto was twitching, his pupils dilated, giving incoherent commands to no one in particular, or so it seemed.

"Air units! Drop Napalm in the target area! Line units, open fire! I want that damned tango dead and torn to pieces before he even makes it to the concertina wire! If he somehow survives, I'm going out there myself to put the last round into his brain!" yelled Naruto to a nonexistent force.

-------------------------

Itachi had completed the Tsukuyomi only to note that something had changed. Instead of negative-toned imagery associated with his genjutsu, he was confronted with full regular color surroundings, and he seemed to be standing in sand of some sort. Suddenly, two oversized arrows in the sky above him streaked over with a thundering roar. As they streaked away, Itachi noted two black dots coming toward him but did not know what they were until it was too late. The canisters - the dots in question - opened and ignited, covering the older Uchiha in roaring, consuming fire.

Itachi screamed in pain and agony as he felt himself being burned alive. At the point of ignition, all the air around him was ignited and consumed, leaving him gasping for breath. It lasted for one long, excruciating minute before the next attack came.

As he stumbled blindly towards the concertina wire, somehow still living, conscious, and externally unscathed in appearance, the multiple clones holding the area opened fire with their assault rifles and other firearms. Itachi's skin was ripped open by the first volley, and a second volley consisting only of shotguns. When the shotgun rounds discharged, their ammunition caused severe, blinding pain. Itachi crumpled, unable to move. A piece of what had hit him had rolled near his lips, and he now knew what caused him so much pain. The shotguns were loaded with rock salt, which combined with his wounds, was more agony than his genjutsu could ever dish out. Naruto and his clones descended upon his curled-up form, Naruto bringing out a powerful-looking handgun and leveled it at Itachi's head.

"I'm sure you never expected this, did you?" said the blonde. "Torture resistance training -- comes with having to operate covertly. 'You're either silent or you're dead,' they told us. Your pitiful genjutsu attack can't hold a candle to the psychological terror of being tied to a operational train route while soaked in petrol with a bonfire blazing nearby. Hope you liked my little rock salt treatment, pretty boy. Because now, it's time for you to get the hell out of my head.

Naruto cocked the handgun and pulled the trigger. Itachi only heard the gunshot before everything went white.

--------------------------

Back in reality, Itachi came to with an excruciating migraine. The Tsukuyomi had backfired on him, a first in his life.

"Naruto-kun is going to be harder to capture than I previously estimated." said Itachi.

"Want me to hack his legs off?" asked Kisame, gesturing to his Samehada.

"No. I've got a different plan. I'll use his duty to his teammates to get him where I want him. All it takes is some patience."

"What's your plan?"

"Goad Sasuke into attacking me and then hold him hostage. That's where I'll force Naruto to come with us unarmed if he wants Sasuke to live."

"This better work."

"Oh, it will."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hallway, Sasuke saw Itachi step out into his line of fire and smirked as he tossed out a flashbang before leaning on the trigger of his AK-47, expending all 30 rounds into what he assumed was Itachi's dazed and now bullet-ridden form. He then turned to Naruto for support.

"I'm gonna finish him off. Cover me." said Sasuke, charging up a Chidori. The Uchiha dropped his AK-47 on the ground and unholstered a Beretta 92FS 9mm handgun before sprinting down the hallway into the smoke. Naruto had his sights pointed in that direction and when he saw Itachi's unharmed posture, he tried to warn Sasuke, but by then, it was too late.

"Sasuke! Fall back!"

"SEE YOU IN HELL, ITACHI! CHIDORI!"

A flash of blue light blinded Naruto momentarily. When he regained his vision, the smoke had cleared and Itachi had Sasuke by the left arm that held the electric attack. Sasuke raised the Beretta in his right hand and tried to get a shot off, but the round never fired even when the hammer fell. Itachi wasted no time in pushing the slide back to avoid further firing and twisted the gun about until Sasuke heard his index finger snap, causing him to scream in pain. The pistol was then taken by Itachi, who held it to his younger brother's head.

"All right then, Naruto-kun. Put down all your weapons and ammunition and wait for Kisame to get you. You're coming with us for real this time. That is, of course, unless you wish to see your teammate dead. I heard you already let the Haruno girl die, so maybe it might be easier for you to stick to your guns."

The words hit a nerve in Naruto. His fury grew, remembering his promise to never let something like that happen again. Now, here he was, at an impasse: His partner has a gun to his head, and he doesn't know if Itachi has something up his sleeve to ensure Sasuke's death no matter what kind of shot he made with his '416. His thumb slid upward to the fire selector, about to turn on the safety when Sasuke shouted to him.

"Don't do it, Naruto! Whatever he tells you, don't fall for it!" shouted Sasuke.

"I don't have a choice!" Naruto shot back. "I don't want you to die! If I have to sacrifice myself, so be it. You have to keep on living, Sasuke! You have to live long enough to become stronger in order to beat the man behind you on your own!"

Sasuke watched with gritted teeth as Naruto took the magazine out from his carbine and place it on the ground, along with his sidearm, grenades, and weapon scrolls. As Naruto did so, Sasuke noticed that as his blonde-haired teammate placed his weapons on the floor, the blonde seem to wink one eye despite not looking his teammate in the face. Sasuke noted this, and realized his teammate had something up his sleeve.

"All right, put your hand behind your head and lock your fingers." spoke Itachi. As Naruto followed his instructions, Kisame proceeded down the hallway to collect Naruto and his weapons, unaware of the .25 caliber pocket pistol he had hidden in his arm frame holster. When Kisame got close, Naruto whipped around as the pistol slid into his hand and fired three shots into Kisame's stomach, causing the Kirigakure nuke-nin to double over clutching his abdomen in pain. Naruto then placed the muzzle of his pistol to his temple and issued a challenge to Itachi's commands.

"The shoe's on the other foot now, Itachi. If Sasuke dies, I die, and therefore, the Kyuubi dies. No one wins in that sort of scenario. So unless you want me to plug myself and thus take away any chance of you getting Kyuubi, I suggest you put the gun down and let my teammate go." spoke Naruto.

"Hm, you certainly are an interesting person, Uzumaki Naruto. However, what if I just kill Sasuke right now?" replied Itachi, squeezing the trigger. This time, the hammer didn't even move.

"Damn!. This thing was working just a second ago!"

"Safety's on." said Naruto, before shooting Itachi in the hand. The elder Uchiha winced from the pain as he dropped the gun, but managed to grab Sasuke so that he could perform Tsukuyomi on him. At once, Sasuke dropped to the floor, curling up as he saw his parents and the rest of his family being murdered over and over again. Itachi began walking towards Naruto when a loud explosion and a cloud of smoke appeared in the hallway between them. A voice within the smoke began speaking.

"It'll take more than some gorgeous lady off the street to fool the great Jiraya!"

As the smoke disappated, the Toad Sannin emerged with the unconscious form of the woman from earlier, whom he now set down on the ground. He then reached for the groaning Kisame and flung the shark-man at Itachi.

"I believe this belongs to YOU!" yelled Jiraya as Kisame's body bowled Itachi over. As the elder Uchiha was knocked down, Naruto pulled back the younger Uchiha to safety. For Naruto, it was his turn to help Sasuke snap out of the genjutsu. He did everything he could, using sound, smacking Sasuke's face around, and more, but no matter what, could not remove the influence of the genjutsu from his teammate's mind. The boy kept screaming out for his deceased parents, who were slaughtered over and over inside his mind. Naruto kept trying to think as to what he could do.

'If I can't remove him from his mental torture, the least I can do is ease his suffering. I hope this idea works...' thought Naruto, opening one of his weapons scrolls.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya went through a quick series of hand seals before slamming his hands down on the ground. Pink, fleshy matter spread from where he touched the ground and slowly coated the entire hallway, floor, walls and ceiling. Itachi noted that as he got up, his sandaled feet were sticking to the floor in a most alarming manner.

"I've got you boys right where I want you." said Jiraiya. "Welsome to the esophagus of Myoboku Mountain's giant toad! Seeing as you're wanted criminals, I don't think anyone would mind if I turned you into toad food."

Itachi swore and then picked up Kisame as he tried to make an exit. As Jiraiya sent the esophagus walls to close in on his quarry, Naruto had summoned a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle and loaded one round into the chamber. As he cocked the weapon, he put it next to Sasuke's ear in the hope that the Uchiha boy would hear it in his tortured mind. Out of consideration for his hearing health, though, Naruto pointed the hand cannon elsewhere, knowing that firing it too close to Sasuke's ear might render him permanently deaf. Naruto fired the single round, the loud report of it traveling down Sasuke's ear canal, past his eardrum, and into his auditory receptors lodged somewhere in his brain.

As Sasuke watched Itachi prepare to kill yet another beloved relative, a loud BOOM came in from his right, and suddenly Itachi was disintegrated in a cloud of vaporized blood and flesh. A voice came out of nowhere and reassured him that everything would be all right.

"Sasuke." said the voice, sounding similar to Naruto. "You can fight this! As long as you have this gun in your hand, as long as you keep pulling the trigger to destroy Itachi, you will never again have to see another family member brutally murdered by his hands. He'll keep trying though, and you have to keep stopping him. What matter here is that you have a strong will to keep shooting, keep fighting to defend those you hold most dear. Be careful when you aim, though. This thing has wicked recoil."

Sasuke looked down to his left hand, and he saw a beefy-looking chrome-plated handgun held between all his fingers. He raised the hefty firearm, aiming it at Itachi's body with both hands, and squeezed the trigger. Another mini-explosion, and Itachi was vanquished. Sasuke began to think that there was hope yet and continued methodically destroying Itachi after Itachi that appeared within his range.

In reality, Naruto had tucked the Desert Eagle into Sasuke's hand. Sasuke responded by gripping it firmly and squeezing the trigger every so often, a sign that the hypnotic suggestion his blonde teammate had given him was working. Meanwhile, the esophagus Jiraiya had summoned had chased the two Akatsuki members around the corner and were closing in on them when a sudden explosion rocked the hallway. Jiraiya felt the power of the esophagus suddenly halt and he, along with Naruto, checked around the end of the hallway. A gaping hole in the wall indicated Itachi had blasted his way through the esophagus and out the building. Black flames outlined the hole in the wall. Naruto was about to inspect these flames when Jiraiya ordered him not to, stating that it would be fatal to touch it unprotected. Not one to leave sound advice unheeded, Naruto went back to tending Sasuke. Jiraya pulled out a blank scroll, wrote the necessary kanji, and sealed the black flames into it for later inspection. As he turned around, he did not expect to be met with a ninja sandal sole to the face. The Toad Sannin was knocked to the floor, his assailant laughing in triumph.

"How do you like my Dynamic Entry technique, villain?" Obviously enough, it was Gai, unaware of who he had just hit. The Jounin heard a metallic click behind him and turned to see Naruto with a handgun pointed right at his nose.

"If it weren't for that uncomfortable-looking bodysuit and that ridiculous haircut, I would've shot you by now, Gai-sensei." spoke Naruto, not removing the muzzle from Gai's face. "What I would like to know, however, is _why exactly did you kick my current sensei in the face?!_"

"What do you mean, current sensei? Kakashi's already in the hospital-- uh-oh."

Gai turned around and saw Jiraiya get up from the floor, groaning in pain from the foot to his head. Immediately, Gai got on the floor and started groveling while apologizing.

"Gomen, Jiraiya-sama! I didn't know the blurry figure I saw in my Hitai-ate was you!" sobbed Gai.

"Wait, wait, wait." said Jiraiya. "Explain this, please? Preferably in a way I can understand?"

"I was just around the corner, using my Hitai-ate as a tactical mirror. But since I didn't polish it, I mistook your blurry appearance in the metal for an enemy and attacked prematurely! I'm so sorry! Please don't report me to the council!"

"Considering your hastiness, I really should." said Jiraiya. "However, your only task will be to return Uchiha Sasuke to the village for medical treatment. He's got a broken right index finger, but the worst damage has been psychological; Itachi nailed him with Tsukuyomi. Naruto only managed to ease his mental pain by giving him a hypnotic suggestion. So, even if it's not loaded, leave that handgun where it is. Without it, the hypnotic suggestion won't work."

"You saw me do all that?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, for the Toad Sage sees all!"

"Right. I am so going to quote that out of context when you least expect it."

"Grrr..."

Gai lifted Sasuke onto his back and the three non-incapacitated ninja walked downstairs and out the front door. A guarded Konoha Humvee was waiting outside the hotel, its dismounted and armed occupants drawing attention from the townsfolk. Gai handed Sasuke off to a medic and repeated Jiraiya's diagnosis. Before Gai boarded the vehicle, he stopped and pulled something green and stretchy from his pack and presented it to Naruto.

"Naruto, before I leave, I give this to you to help you train while your journey!" exclaimed Gai, tossing the object to Naruto.

"What is it?" asked the blonde, inspecting the strange lump of fabric.

"It's one of my patented full-body suits!" replied the man, giving off a shiny-toothed grin.

"I appreciate the offer, but Rock Lee will most likely need it more than I. Besides, I have something far more fashionable."

"And that would be?"

"This." finished Naruto, pulling out an "Under Armour" set of shirt and shorts. The two items were colored differently, the shirt colored white and the shorts black.

"I give you Under Armour, a form-fitting, moisture-wicking training and athletic apparel. It comes in more than one piece, and can come in any color. What's more, it's fashionable, at least by western standards."

"Ha! 'By western standards', you said." claimed Gai triumphantly, the body suit in his hand flopping about as he pumped his fist into the air. "That means here, they aren't fashionable!"

"I'm going to have to interrupt you there, Gai-sensei."

"Huh?"

"If you haven't noticed, no one else wears your body suit except for Lee. One possible reason is the fact that it's one-piece. Also, no offense, but no one thinks you have very good fashion sense, with your bowl haircut and green body suit."

The words were yet another knife into Gai's heart. Naruto continued on.

"Meanwhile, Jiraiya-sensei, you would wear a set of these clothes, right?" asked the blonde, turning to his teacher.

"I suppose. As long as it's not made of spandex or whatever the hell Gai uses to make those suits of his."

Gai curled up on the ground, disappointed that he 'had no fashion sense whatsoever'. Unperturbed, Naruto turned to one of the soldiers guarding their transport.

"Hey, you have any 30-round stripper clips of 5.56mm?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

The soldier reached inside the Humvee and pulled out a can filled with 30-round stripper clips of 5.56mm ammo and handed it to Naruto.

"Thanks. Now, we probably have to get going. See you fellas back in Konoha."

"See you, Naruto, Jiraiya-sama. C'mon, Gai-san. Let's go."

As Gai was pushed into the passenger cabin of the Humvee, Naruto took some of his empty magazines and reloaded them with the help of the stripper clips.Carefully, he made sure each round went in one by one without denting any of them. When he was finished reloading, Naruto stuck the empty stripper clips into a dump pouch, placed his replenished ammunition into his mag pouches and slung the carbine over his shoulder.

"Shall we go, Jiraiya-sensei? I don't think we should stick around in a place where we've already been compromised."

"You've got a good head on your shoulders, Naruto. Yeah, we should definitely leave."

----------------

Hours later, the two were walking along an unpaved country road when Naruto asked Jiraiya a question that had been lingering on his mind.

"So, Ero-sennin. You've taught me Hiraishin no Jutsu, and water walking. What's next on the block? Walking on the tops of flames? No, wait! Maybe on air? That's what you're gonna teach me, won't you, Ero-sennin?!"

Jiraiya stopped as they approached a foot bridge and sighed. "Ero-sennin. Perverted Hermit. You're always calling me that. What, has no one told you how great a person I am?"

"Oh, so you're a Great Perverted Hermit, then?"

"D'ohhh... listen to this!" said Jiraiya, running to the crest of the bridge. After taking a deep breath, he spun around and hopped on one of his sandals. Kabuki music began playing from out of nowhere as Jiraiya made an introductory performance about himself.

"The title 'Frog Hermit' is merely a disguise. I shall tell you my true identity..."

Jiraiya then grabbed his hair as he whirled it around with his head, continuing his intro.

"I am the man who has no enemies in the North, South, East, or West..."

Jiraiya whipped out a scroll and sent it flying into the sky.

"Not even in the heavens! I am one of the Sannin..."

Jiraiya summoned a toad upon which to stand on as he began to finish his introduction.

"The white-haired frog tamer. Even a crying baby would stare in awe... THE GREAT JIRAIYA!"

Jiraiya struck a pose as he finished his last sentence.

"THAT IS ME!!!" he declared, the music ending with a percussive note.

Naruto was somewhat awestruck yet quite unsure what to make of his teacher. So, wordlessly, he clapped slowly with a small smile on his face. Jiraiya's face became one of depression.

"I guess you don't take me very seriously, don't you..."

"With that intro? It is a tad showy." replied Naruto, walking past Jiraiya. Jiraiya stood there on the bridge, a crow passing by crying out, "_Ahou! Ahou!_ (Idiot! Idiot!)"

Minutes later, Naruto was in front of signpost indicating directions to various locations and their distance from that point.

"A...Atafuku City... hmm, it's about 10 kilometers from here."

"That's_O-_tafuku city, Naruto."

"Oh, sorry. I seem to have read the Katakana wrong."

"That's fine, just keep up."

As the two walked, Naruto asked Jiraiya more questions.

"So Ero-sennin, why did you choose me to go with you?"

"Well, I feel it's because I owe it to your late father to do so. You look just like him, save for the whisker marks. Hell, you could even be him; follow in his footsteps, and see where that takes you."

Naruto dropped back upon hearing these words while Jiraiya kept on walking. Naruto played the words over and over in his mind.

'Just like my father... just like my father...'

With a yell of joy, Naruto sprinted past Jiraiya, who nearly had a heart attack upon hearing Naruto's sudden yell.

"That settles it, then! I'm gonna follow my dad's footsteps and be a Hokage for sure! Woo-hoo!"

Naruto leapt about for joy as Jiraiya watched the blonde with a smirk on his face. Naruto made one final leap into the air and realized there was no ground under him, causing him to panic when he realized he was about to land on a pile of dog turds. Naruto closed his eyes, heard a audible SPLAT and knew that he had just stepped on a landmine of canine waste. Jiraiya smacked himself in the face, and exasperatedly pointed at Naruto.

"I never said all the qualities about your father were good, and you're no different! You're just as stubborn and impatient as your dad!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" shouted Naruto, turning around. As he turned to point at Jiraiya, he inadverdently stepped in yet another pile of dog excrement.

"Dammit! Don't people ever clean up after their pets? I just got these damn boots!"

After Naruto had cleaned off his footwear, the two kept going until they reached a small shrine to take a break in. Naruto went to the shrine itself and lit an incense stick as he silently uttered a small shinto prayer. As he put down the stick, he took note of the bells around him, and that each one sounded a different pitch as he rang them. Deciding to have some fun with them, he was soon playing "Hall of the Mountain King" on the bells when Jiraiya told him to stop playing.

"Stop fooling around, kid."

"Oh, relax, Ero-sennin. I'm just playing some music. But if you insist, I'll stop. In return, however, I'd like you to tell me more about my dad." returned Naruto, putting the bells to rest.

"You've got a deal. What do you want to know?"

"What was my father like as a student?"

"Well, it's not an overstatement to say he became strong through my tutelage. Since you're recieving training from me, consider yourself blessed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't believe me? It's logical, common sense. It dictates that a good teacher raises a good student."

"Then, who was it that taught you, Ero-sennin?"

"Me? Why, I learned from the Sandaime, of course!"

"Hm? Oji-san taught you?"

"Yeah. He was still young at the time. Looked almost like his son, Asuma, except he had a goatee where Asuma has a full-on beard. I was even younger at the time, and my team consisted of me, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, back when he was a good guy."

"So you mean he wasn't always evil and creepy?"

"Mm-hm."

"And you weren't always an old pervert?"

"Yep-- HEY! Anyways, you know that bell test Kakashi put you through?"

"Yes."

"Well, Sandaime put us through that, as well. I was pretty much the 'dead-last' of the team, by the end of the test, I was the one that got tied to the log. I ended up staying behind the rest of the day and I got lectured by Sandaime about not falling into obvious traps. I defended myself by explaining how I used excellent concealment and cloaking techniques whenever I went peeping back then. He doubted it, and I said I never got caught, which was the truth, and nothing but the truth. So, he considers what I had to say a bit, and then he says to me, 'If you insist on that claim, I will come with you next time.' That really caught me off guard."

"So he was a closet pervert even back then, wasn't he?"

"Hey, it was a surprise to me. So, I give him the date, time, and location of my next peeping op and I teach him the technique. We go in, cloaking ourselves as planned, and we lay in wait as the beauties of Konoha came in to have a hot, relaxing bath in all their natural glory. It paid off, too. We saw lots of silky-white skin within the first hour, and it was just me and 'The Professor' drinking it all in with our perverted little eyes. Halfway into our adventure, however, Sarutobi moved, against my advice, to find a better angle to peep from. He ends up slipping from the angled roof and falls right into the water in the midst of all those bathing women. The jutsu dispells, and suddenly there's a waterlogged sannin instructor surrounded by very naked, very startled, strong-armed and most likely angry Konoha women. I couldn't possibly try and rescue him without being discovered myself, so at that point, it was every pervert for himself."

"What happened after that?"

"That's the funny part. Next day, he shows up at our usual meeting place with a black eye, a cast and boot around his left leg, his left arm in a sling, and to top it off, he was walking bow-legged all over the place, so we knew something had hit him in the groin! Those were funny days in the midst of the Shinobi war..."

Jiraiya, upon ending his story, got up and began walking away. Naruto ran to join his teacher, and the two walked on in silence toward Otafuku City.

-----------------------

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2


	14. Tracking Tsunade Part 2

Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha Marksman Chapter 14: Tracking Tsunade Part 2

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shonen Jump, and Viz Media. All Trademarks featured herein are copyright their respective owners.

"Wow! This place is _busy_!" exclaimed Naruto. After two hours' traveling, Jiraiya and Naruto found themselves in the midst of Otafuku City's annual festival.

"That it is, Naruto. All right, since this festival will be on for a while, this is where we'll stop for a few days. Today, you just relax, and then you start your training tomorrow."

"Awesome! I'm definitely going out on the town today!"

Naruto opened one of his scrolls and summoned what appeared to be a metallic briefcase, more specifically, the kind designed to carry large amounts of money. Jiraiya was awed.

"Wow! That's a lot of cash you've got on you!"

"Thanks. I've been saving it ever since I came here from the 'States. Well, time to go out on the town! See you in a while, Ero-sennin!"

"Wait! Hang on just a minute, there." said Jiraiya, putting his hand up to stop Naruto. "You're not seriously thinking of blowing all that hard-earned money in one place, are you?"

"Well..."

"Give me the suitcase, Naruto."

Resignedly, Naruto handed over his metal suitcase to Jiraiya, who popped it open. The Sannin was a little taken aback, expecting to find lots of Ryou bills filling the case.

Instead, Jiraiya found rows of various currencies: Euros, British Pounds, Japanese Yen, American Dollars.

"Um, Naruto, these are all foreign currencies." said Jiraiya, shutting the case and handing it back to Naruto.

"Like I said, I've been saving it ever since I came from the United States. I don't see any reason why I can't spend it!"

"Naruto, everyone around here trades in Ryou. Yout money is no good here."

"Damn!" said Naruto. "I completely forgot about that!"

"You have any Ryou in your wallet?"

"I haven't checked as of lately, but I'm sure there's at least a little bit."

Naruto handed over his leather wallet to Jiraiya, who inspected its contents.

"Let's see... 500 Ryou, 7 U.S. Dollars... what is this?" asked the Sannin, pulling out a piece of paper resembling a bill.

"That's a 20 dollar Military Pay Certificate." replied Naruto. "I never got to use it, so it's probably worthless, since they destroy the series of MPC's annually."

"I don't think they even make these anymore-- this one's from 1973! Look, since you don't have a lot, I'll give you some cash. 500 Ryou more, and that's it. I can't have you spending too much; after all, you might fall prey to the Three Shinobi Vices."

"And what, may I ask, are these vices?" asked Naruto skeptically.

"Gambling, Women, and Alcohol. These three combined drain a shinobi's resources and affect their ability to operate."

"Well, I'm in no danger of any of that happening. I'm too young."

"Just a warning. All right then, go and have some fun."

The two parted ways, and Naruto smirked. He failed to mention to Jiraiya that there was a bank in town with foreign exchange capability. Naruto had seen a sign on the way into Otafuku City advertising the bank. All he had to do now was walk there, hand in his suitcase full of foreign cash, and walk out a couple thousand Ryou richer.

Minutes later, Naruto walked out as planned, exactly 10,000 Ryou richer. It paid off to make sure that all the denominations he had in the case, regardless of nationality, were the largest amounts he could find. ¥10,000 yen bills, 100 dollar bills, £50 Pound banknotes, and 500 Euro banknotes were present in the suitcase when he first entered; now, there was nothing but Ryou. Naruto popped open the suitcase and took a wad of Ryou bills before sealing the case back into a summoning scroll. And thus, Naruto went out into the town festival, playing games of chance and winning prizes: His skill with firearms netted him a large fox plushie from a shooting gallery booth, and his physical conditioning won him 500 extra Ryou in an arm-wrestling contest against a man much larger than himself. His appetite increased by the activity around him, he headed to one of the nearby food stalls and purchased some delicious takoyaki, barbecued squid on a stick, and onigiri. The blonde bought as much as he could carry in take-out bags and began eating some of his share, making sure to get plenty for Jiraiya. After getting the food, he wandered off in search of his teacher.

* * *

"I should've known: 'A leopard doesn't change its spots.'" said Naruto, looking at the state of his sensei.

It took about 15 minutes for the boy to pinpoint more or less where Jiraiya would be. Currently, the white-haired Toad Sage was heartily laughing his ass off with a bottle of Sake in hand while in the company of some buxom, leggy women in a hostess club located near the entrance to the city's 'red light' district.

"Heeey, Naruto!" said Jiraiya, leaning forward. "I didn't expect you to find me so soon!"

"Enough with the pleasantries, sensei." said Naruto seriously. "Do you know how much of a hypocrite you're being right now? You're pissing away large amounts of money on alcohol and loose women."

"Hey! I never said you can't do this with your own money! Besides, it's not like I'm harming anyone in the process, right?" responded Jiraiya.

"You have a point. Still, aren't you kind of setting a bad example?" replied Naruto.

"Just a little time to myself, Naruto. That's all I ask."

"Fine. I'll be outside with your share of the food I got."

Naruto turned to walk out of the hostess club and to the street and would have made it had he not bumped into a bald man in a black suit accompanied by another similarly-dressed man. The collision caused the squid on a stick Naruto was holding to press up against the man's blazer, which was most likely dry clean only. Seeing the resulting stain, the already irate man glared at Naruto.

"Hey, watch where you're going, brat!" said the man angrily.

"Sorry sir, my mistake." replied Naruto.

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it, kid!" said the other man. "_Aniki_'s suit is more than you could ever afford!"

"You're gonna have to find a way to pay the cost of a new suit, _boy_." said the offended man, emphasizing the last word. Naruto didn't miss it; he was already figuring out how to take this guy down.

"You know, I was more than willing to pay for the dry cleaning of your suit, hell, maybe even get a new one for you if the stain still doesn't come out, but you just had to go and call me 'boy.' That was the last straw. If you disrespect me like that, then you and I are gonna have a few problems. You have no right calling me that!"

"_Boy,_I'm bigger, stronger, smarter, and meaner than you. I can call you whatever you want, _boy_."

"Look here, Q-tip. I ain't scared-a-you. I suggest you and your pals leave now before you're all laid out on the ground in front of all these people." retorted Naruto.

"You watch yourself around _Aniki_, kid! He's a former Iwa Jounin and he's the most badass Yakuza you'll ever meet!"

"Oh, a mobster, eh? Must be my lucky day! I've always said crime was an illness affecting humanity. I'm no doctor, but my prescription to treat that illness was always a .45ACP dose of solid lead. And if the problem is big enough, I always apply it liberally." said Naruto, pulling out his STI 6.0. Naruto quickly flicked off the safety, cocked the handgun and levelled it at the two Yakuza. The men tensed, unsure whether or not the blonde was bluffing. The matte black color of the pistol looked all too real.

"Y-you're bluffing, kid! Do you seriously think you can take on all 2,000 of our family if you kill us?" asked the other mobster, a sliver of nervousness in his voice.

"That's all? I've got enough ammunition to kill everyone 10 times over."

"Go ahead then, kid! Shoot us if that gun is even real!"

"With pleasure. It won't be quick, though. First go your kneecaps..."

"Stop, Naruto. Put the gun down." said Jiraiya, coming up from behind the blonde. Naruto turned to see Jiraiya glaring at him, and obediently, Naruto put his gun away. The Yakuza men seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I knew he didn't have the guts." said the first of the gangsters, smirking with a hint of relief.

"Oh, he's got the guts, all right. I just don't want him wasting his bullets on low-level morons like you."

"What are ya gonna do then old m-aaaaaaaaaaaan!"

Jiraiya never even let the man finish speaking as he thrust a ball of blue chakra into him, throwing him and the other three mobsters spiraling into a water balloon cart across the street. Naruto was amazed at the power Jiraiya wielded in that single storm of chakra. Suddenly, words from his teacher brought Naruto back into focus.

"C'mon, Naruto. Let's make sure these fools aren't too badly hurt."

Naruto and Jiraiya walked across the street to find that the cart had been smashed by the now-groaning bodies of the two mobsters who were too thrashed to move. Next to them was the cart owner, worried about how he was going to make a living with a broken cart. This gave Naruto an idea. Deftly, he slipped money out of the half-conscious mobsters' pockets and placed it in the vendor's hands.

"Since these fellows started it all, I don't think they'll see it as unfair that their money compensates you." said Naruto.

"Also, I will buy what is left of your water balloons, good sir." added Jiraiya, handing a large sum of money to the vendor.

As the vendor carefully handed Jiraiya his remaining water balloons, Naruto took a quick look at the mobster's blazer. The point of origin tag said "Made in China." Naruto scoffed, mumbling, "Expensive suit, my ass." He lightly kicked the unconscious thug's body, and then pulled out a water bottle. For comedic effect, he poured its contents all over the lead Yakuza's crotch. For that final touch, he even shoved the man's hands inside the waistband of the suit's slacks, making it appear as if the unsconscious mobster was doing something inappropriate in public. Only Jiraiya's call to action stopped his fun.

"C'mon, Naruto. Let's go. I've got a technique to teach you."

Wordlessly, Naruto got up and caught up with his Sensei as they headed out of town and into the woods.

* * *

"You want me to do what, again?" asked Naruto for the second time.

"The_ Rasengan_, Naruto. The Rasengan, one of your father's signature jutsu. All you're basically doing is gathering your chakra into a ball, make it ready to burst by forcing chakra inside the ball to try and make it pop out on all sides, and use it by shoving it into some schmuck while in a fight." replied Jiraiya in the simplest terms he could.

"Sounds easy enough." replied Naruto.

"It's one thing to say that, completely another to actually pull it off. Your dad took four years to perfect the damn thing, You'll eat those words by the end of the day. The first thing to do is to get the water inside the water balloon to spin in one direction and using chakra. That same chakra must be able to manipulate the water violently enough that the chakra-powered water causes the water balloon to burst from the inside. So, is there anything you want me to explain?"

"Yes. Could you please demonstrate?"

"I don't see why not. All the help you can get, right?"

Jiraiya took a water balloon in the palm of his hand and held it firmly. Naruto could tell the chakra was being focused to his hand as the Toad Sage spun the water inside the balloon until it resembled some sort of washtub thanks to centripital force. Then, more chakra was added, casuing the water to form bumps in random directions as it spun, eventually bursting the balloon.

"So those bumps are water spikes from the chakra?" asked Naruto.

"That's correct." replied Jiraiya.

"Seems easy enough." said Naruto. "Just start the Chakra spinning, and then make it spike, huh?"

Naruto took a water balloon and held it firmly in his hand. Concentrating carefully, he made the water begin spinning inside the balloon as he held the balloon firmly, not shaking it. Concentrating more, he tried to get the water to really start moving wildly, but to no avail. as he was trying to do this, he accidentally squeezed the balloon too tightly, causing it to pop.

"Try again." said Jiraiya. "And don't squeeze it this time."

"Right." said Naruto, taking another water balloon. He tried again, and again, and again...

* * *

"POP, GODDAMN YOU!" shouted Naruto. For the umpteenth time, he had been trying to get the waterballoon in his hand to blow up using nothing but Chakra, but all he seemed to be doing was wasting chakra on spinning the water repeatedly. Frustrated, he charged Chakra into his other hand and thrust it into the balloon. The balloon suddenly spiked, but did not pop. He noted this, and repeated the action, hitting the balloon in a different area each time. he saw the rubber stretch to its breaking point, and so he pounded away at the balloon mercilessly until it exploded, showering water all over the place.

"So that's how I do it..." said Naruto to himself. He repeated the process multiple times, and soon enough, he was popping water balloons left and right. When Jiraiya came back to check on him, he showed the white-haired sage what he could do.

"Very impressive, Naruto." said Jiraiya. "Rest tonight, for tomorrow, I've got a harder challenge for you."

Thus, Naruto did retire to the hotel room for the day. He meditated, clearing his thoughts for the day to come.

The next day was even more difficult. Naruto now had to get a tough rubber ball to explode violently using the same techniques from earlier. Problem was, Naruto was only able to get as far as causing all the air in the ball to rush out a medium-sized hole on the other side of the ball. Feelings of frustration crept back in. He had no visual aid for which way the Chakra he put in was spinning, and until he had it figured out, he would not leave the training area anymore. He brought with him a sleeping bag, some MRE's, and his primary and secondary weapons. As the days passed, he trained all day, stopping only for meals and routine weapons drills, and slept at night. Every so often, Jiraiya was able to check on Naruto when the sannin wasn't hanging around in seedy places looking for intel. Seeing Naruto struggling, he had enough and one day decided to help Naruto along.

Naruto was preparing yet another ball for what would hopefully be explosive results when Jiraiya stopped him.

"Jiraiya-sensei!" said Naruto, surprised. "You done already?"

"No, Naruto, but I've been seeing you struggle, and I thought I'd help you a bit."

"What do I need help with?"

"You seem to be having trouble spinning your Chakra, so here..."

Jiraiya took the palm of Naruto's hand and drew the Konoha Symbol on it. Puzzled, Naruto looked to Jiraiya, who explained.

"I want you to concentrate on the area of the leaf that becomes a spiral. once you've channeled Chakra into the ball, visualize spinning the Chakra in the direction of the spiral. And just remember, keep spinning the Chakra until it begins to burn your hand. Once you can't take it anymore, start the second part of forming that Chakra. Then, unleash that power on the rubber ball, and you're all set."

"Right!" said Naruto, grabbing another ball. "I'll work on that right away!"

And so, as Jiraiya left, Naruto built up Chakra in his hand as he rotated it inside the ball, following the leaf pattern. Soon enough, he was building more Chakra than usual, and his hand was beginning to ache. As the pain approached unbearable levels, he held on a little longer before channeling Chakra from his left hand into the ball from different directions. the ball began to spike, and Naruto thrust one last pulse of Chakra in. The ball exploded with enough force to push Naruto back a few paces. Naruto was breathing hard. His hand was numb, but it was a rush, unleashing all that energy.

"I... I did it!" said Naruto to himself, breathing heavily. "Now to try it for real..."

Naruto held his palm out as he gathered Chakra into it. As he felt the burn of the gathering Chakra, he kept building it until the pain was intolerable. Then, he furiously added chakra with his left hand in strikes, a whirling sphere of bluish Chakra gathering in his right hand. It built and built steadily until he stopped adding left-handed Chakra and maintained the feed from his right hand. He spun, dashed, and rammed the sphere into the nearest tree. The result was tastefully destructive, with the sphere carving a violent hole through the trunk of the tree before it dissapated as it slammed into another tree. Naruto grinned, proud of his accomplishment. He took a few steps, a stupid grin still plastered to his face before he went limp and fell to the ground unconscious as a result of exhaustion. Nearby, Jiraiya had secretly been watching Naruto's progress. He shook his head as he smirked, amazed by Naruto's rapid progression.

_'Congratulations, Naruto.'_ thought Jiraiya. _'Now, you've got a grasp of the Rasengan's true power.'_

Gently, the Toad Sannin picked up Naruto and slung the boy on his back along with Naruto's belongings. Jiraiya walked back to the hotel, being careful not to disturb the now-snoozing Naruto.

* * *

Naruto awoke the next day to see Jiraiya packing up his clothes, as if they were getting ready to leave.

"Get dressed and be ready to leave in half an hour." said Jiraiya. "We'll get breakfast on the way out of town."

"Mmmn... Why the rush?" asked Naruto, still half asleep.

"I just got some fresh info on Tsunade. Word from my sources say she was spotted heading into a nearby gambling town."

"All right then. I'll get my gear together." stated Naruto, now fully alert. Quickly, the boy changed into a tan T-shirt and Cargo pants and packed up his gear. He strapped on all his tactical gear, sealed away extraneous belongings, and finally checked his weapons for the day. Jiraiya made sure Naruto was ready to leave and the two checked out and got some take-out breakfast on the way out of town. It was a few hours' trek, and they'd have a bit of time on their hands.

* * *

Later that day... 6:30 P.M.

In a pub at Tanzaku Gai, a well-endowed blonde sat at a booth, contemplating her encounter with her old teammate a few hours ago. The two had not seen each other in years. They were part of a three-man team during the Great Shinobi War, and out of all three of them, she had retained the looks of her youth. At first sight, you wouldn't know the woman was pushing fifty. She sipped at her sake, remembering her former teammate's words.

_'Heal these arms of mine, Tsunade... and I will see to it that you are reunited with those two men so dear to you... all you have to do is reverse this curse sensei put on my arms, and then I will fill my end of the bargain. I'll give you one week to decide. Choose wisely...'_

Tsunade was brought from her thoughts by a shock of white hair that came into her field of vision. Looking up, she was surprised to see the second of her two teammates, a man from her youth who was (and probably still is) a pervert who has the ability to summon frogs. The two made eye contact, and the face of the white-haired man broke into a grin.

"Well! If it isn't Tsunade-hime! I never thought we'd find you! How've you and the twins been doing?"

"Same old Jiraiya." said Tsunade, smirking as she shook her head. "And who's 'we'?"

"Oh, right." replied the white-haired Sannin. He tapped the blonde-haired boy behind him who swiveled around with the strange foreign object in his arms.

"Tsunade, meet my student, Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, this is my old teammate, Tsunade."

"Nice to meet ya, kid." said Tsunade.

"Charmed." replied Naruto, kissing Tsunade's hand.

"Such a gentleman!" replied Tsunade, another smirk on her face. "You couldn't possibly have learned this behavior from your sensei, right?"

"Well, I was surprised to meet someone as beautiful as yourself." replied the boy. "From what sensei told me about you, I personally thought I'd be meeting someone more... elderly."

"What were his exact words?" asked Tsunade, a vein beginning to pulse as she smiled.

"Well, he pretty much described you as an old hag with a nice rack."

"I see... Jiraiya-kun, care to step outside a moment with me?" asked Tsunade, dragging the white-haired sannin as she stomped out of the pub. Naruto heard a brief yell of "CALLED ME A HAG, DID YOU?!" before the sounds of a beating commenced. Meanwhile, Naruto's attention was drawn away from the fight by a black-haired woman, possibly in her mid-to-late twenties, who held a pig dressed with a pearl necklace in her arms.

"Oh, nice to meet you!" said the woman. "You're Naruto, right?"

"Yes." replied Naruto, shaking the woman's hand. "And you are..."

"Shizune." replied the woman. "And my little friend here is Tonton."

The pig oinked as it extended a hoof as if to shake Naruto's hand. Naruto shook it lightly, and he smiled at the small pig. Just then, Tsunade walked back in dragging a slightly bruised Jiraiya to the booth, where he finally moved on his own to sit down. Naruto stowed his HK416 under his seat as they ordered dinner. As they began to eat, Tsunade engaged conversation with Jiraiya.

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods, Jiraiya? Last time I checked, there weren't any young ladies heading to any nearby hot springs."

"I'm here on a business call, Tsunade." replied Jiraiya. "It's concerning Konoha."

Tsunade could already guess what was about to happen. Orochimaru hinted at it before earlier in the day.

"Tsunade, Sensei's dead. He got in a fight with Orochimaru when the Sound village invaded Konoha a while back. Right now, Konohagakure is without a leader."

"So, what's this got to do with me?" asked Tsunade icily.

"Well, the council wants you to come back to Konoha. They want you to be the new Hokage, Tsunade-hime."

"Isn't that great?" asked Naruto energetically. "You're gonna be the village's next leader! I'm sure it'll be great serving under your command!"

Tsunade smiled sadly before turning to her Sake dish.

"Hate to break it to ya, kid, but I'm not going back there. Find someone else to serve with distinction under. Maybe your sensei."

"Too late for that, Tsunade-hime. I felt the job would be more suited to you, so I turned it down." replied Jiraiya.

"You're wasting your time and your student's time, Jiraiya. I'm _not_ going back to Konoha to be Hokage."

"Wh-why not?" asked Naruto. "Tsunade-sama, weren't you one of Sandaime's students? I would expect someone like you to take that spot, if not Ero-sennin!"

"There's a reason why, kid. Whoever wants that job would have to be a fool."

Naruto stopped short in disbelief. Did his ears decieve him?

"Care to run that by me again?" said he asked.

"You heard me, kid. Whoever wants to be Hokage must be some kind of fool. When you get down to it, all the Hokage does is die for some stupid reason, sacrificing themselves unecessarily. When that's the end result, hell, what person with common sense would want that job?"

Naruto's anger spiked and boiled over. He shot up from his seat, startling everyone at the table. His blue eyes locked with Tsunade's.

"You take that back," he said, loudly but firmly. "You've got no right to call those heroes fools. They bravely gave their lives to save their home, to save the populace whom they considered part of their great family. I don't know how you can consider yourself a Konoha Ninja, let alone one of the Sannin three when you can so easily spit on what your sensei did to keep his village safe. How dare you run away from responsibility. I don't know how a coward like you was ever worthy of being called a legendary sannin!"

Tsunade glared at Naruto and replied, "Kid, I don't know why the hell you have a hard-on for being Hokage. Anyone who takes that job is a fool! In the end, they end up dead, with barely anything to show for their accomplishments except their faces carved into the side of a damned mountain! Everyone who took that job was a fool! My Grandfather, my Granduncle, Sarutobi-sensei, and even Yondaime! He was the biggest fool of all, trying to take on Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

Naruto snapped and drew his STI Tactical, racking the slide as he did so. He spoke to Tsunade in a cold, dangerous tone. Tsunade stiffened, sensing an aura of violence and lethality emenating from the blonde boy.

"Oh, no, now you've really hit a nerve. Yondaime was the man who fathered me. Uzumaki Arashi, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, was no fool. He was a father who had a tough choice to make and it was a choice he'd have to carry with him to the grave. Call me a fool as you wish, Tsunade, but even foolish boys don't like people talking shit about the men who brought them into this world and raised them. But don't worry, I can arrange a face-to-face so you can apologize to him."

As Naruto was about to put a hole somewhere in Tsunade's body, his gun hand suddenly blurred and when he pulled the trigger, all he heard was a hollow _clink_. He looked to his right hand and saw nothing but the frame and external hammer. His gun had been field-stripped in the blink of an eye. looking next to him, he saw Jiraiya was dangling the slide, magazine, and slide stop from his hands.

"Looking for these?" asked Jiraiya. He'd moved so fast Naruto was somewhere between anger and confusion.

"Yes. And obviously, you've been going through my stuff. You know how rude that is?" retorted Naruto.

"That's not the point I'm trying to make, Naruto. You let your emotions take control of you. I believe the reason we're here is to negotiate and convince Tsunade to return to Konoha. You're not exactly helping our case by threatening to put a bullet in her."

"You're shitting me, right?" interrupted Tsunade, causing Jiraiya and Naruto's attentions to fall to her. "Jiraiya, your student is Arashi's son?"

"Yes." replied the white-haired Sannin.

"I was told he died in the attack!"

"They lied to you, Tsunade-san. And to everyone," said Naruto. "But then again, who wants to acknowledge a boy who shares a body with a monster, Hm? In fact, I didn't even learn until I returned to Konoha after 6 years that I was his son. I'll spare you the sob story, but I'll let you know that basically I lived in utter misery until I left."

"What did you do during those six years?"

"Step outside and I'll show you. I'm not going to let you leave tonight without being punished for insulting my father."

"Oh, so it's a fight you want, eh, kid? Fine by me."

The two got up from their seats and walked outside the pub, Jiraiya and Tsunade worriedly following behind. Naruto left his weapons inside. This was fists, Ninjutsu, and blades, at most. It was the cleanest fight anyone in the immediate area would get. Naruto walked to one end of the street, Tsunade to another. As the two turned and watched a leaf flutter to the ground, they charged at each other as it came to a rest. Naruto went into Pekiti Tirsia style, attacking Tsunade while she was off-guard. admittedly, Tsunade was amazed that this boy in front of her could attack so quickly; it took all her effort to block some seriously deadly strikes. She suffered a few shallow cuts on her arm as a result, but soon enough, she disarmed Naruto by grabbing his wrist and twisting it, causing the boy to drop the knife. As she blocked the flurry of fists and feet that came next, she flung him slightly into the air and then punched him square in the chest with a Chakra-infused punch. Naruto flew back quite a distance and landed on his back. His trauma plates crumbled inside his tactical armor plate carrier and he had the wind knocked out of him. He staggered to his feet, and seeing Tsunade walking towards him, he came to a decision.

"Time to end this now." said Naruto. He gathered Chakra in his right hand and began spinning it, hitting it at certain angles with more Chakra from his left. Naruto yelled and sprinted at Tsunade full force, a Rasengan built in his hand. He grit his teeth in anger as he watched her flip him the bird. What he didn't notice was her leg coming down on the ground with enough force to crack it. The upturned debris caused Naruto to stumble, but he aimed his Rasengan straight and true.

Except, Tsunade used her middle finger to stop his forward movement and flicked off his Hitai-ate. Then, she jabbed him in the forehead, sending the boy flying back, the Rasengan dragging into the pavement until he came to a stop about 5 meters away.

"Pretty good that you're able to form a Rasengan, kid, but it's sloppy." called Tsunade. "You're gonna have to work on it, and you'll definitely have to ditch your current way of thinking. It's pretty obvious to me you're not a traditional shinobi, but in order to master any Jutsu like the Rasengan, you're gonna have to think like one. Relying on new technology and weapons will only get you so far."

"Urgh... that shouldn't be a problem then." said Naruto, getting up. "I've mastered Shunshin no Jutsu and its bigger brother, Hiraishin no Jutsu already."

"You're full of shit, kid. No way you could've mastered Hiraishin at your age."

Naruto wordlessly tossed a three-pronged kunai into the air and performed the jutsu as soon as it landed near Tsunade's feet. Tsunade was startled when Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her in a flash. Taking advantage of her shock, he snatched his Hitai-ate from her.

"Let's make a bet, then. Give me one week to master the Rasengan. If I win, you have to become Hokage and let's see... give me your necklace!"

At this, Shizune and Jiraiya gasped. What Naruto did not know was that the necklace had once belonged to Tsunade's deceased brother, Nawaki, and her late fiance, Dan. The two kept silent as Naruto finished laying down the wagers of the bet."

"What's in it for me?" asked Tsunade, worried about her necklace.

"I will pay off all your debts and give you 1 million ryou. Before you scoff, I'll have you know I made a lot of money before returning here. There's no way I would've been able to afford so much unless I worked a lot and invested a lot for it."

"You've got a deal then!" said Tsunade, smirking dangerously. "I look forward to taking your money."

"We'll see about that."

TO BE CONTINUED


	15. Advisory!

A Message to all the fans of Konoha Marksman

Hello everyone, MP5 here. Look, I realize that since it's summer, I'm supposed to be updating like crazy. But for some reason, I have an insane amount of writer's block that is further hampered by the addition of another project, one that is an original-fiction piece inspired by Ito Ogure/Oh!Great's Air Gear series. It is a project that will be on , so be sure to check it out. My work will be in the Manga section, entitled "Crossfire" under the penname MP5SD.

Any questions and concerns will be addressed thorugh PM.

Sincerely,

MP5


	16. Rasengan

Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha Marksman Chapter 15: Rasengan

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shonen Jump, and Viz Media. All Trademarks featured herein are copyright their respective owners.

* * *

The task was set. The bet was on. Naruto now had four days to refine the Rasengan. The fifth day was the deadline, and by then, he needed to have mastered 4 properties to create the perfect Rasengan: chakra usage, manipulation, size, and power. He needed to use the appropriate amount of Chakra to form it as efficiently as possible. Then, he had to manipulate the Chakra as quickly as possible. From there came size and power. He needed to learn how to make a concealable Rasengan as well as a visible one, and manipulate the power of it properly, making it powerful enough to level a section of forest or weak enough to simply stun a person.

Today being the first day of refinement, Naruto ditched most of his weapons and gear, save for his STI Tactical, a combat knife, and bare-bones Kevlar body armor. He marked a notch on the nearby tree with his combat knife, and proceeded to start forming Chakra in his right hand. He forced more and more out as it began to take shape, but soon, he put too much, and it was gone.

"Damn." said Naruto. He tried again, slowly building Chakra. once again, as the glow began to surface, it slowly but surely took shape as he began to spin it. As it spun, he carefully added more chakra by using his other hand to shape it properly with small flashes of chakra instead of large splashes like he did during the fight with Tsunade. His Rasengan was forming just fine until he remembered something that would break his concentration.

"Shit! My arms shipments are supposed to be arriving this week! I need someone to take them in! Oh god, oh god, ohgodohgodohgod...."

Naruto ran about in a circle before accidentally hitting a tree with his face. This action also allowed him to clear his head.

"OK, let's not panic here. There's a reasonable solution to anything. Just call Konoha, get Hinata on the line, and ask her to come to my house each day and sign for the packages. She doesn't have to put them in the armory or even take them out of the box. Ok, that seems like a plan. Now, where's my satellite phone?"

Naruto checked himself for any sign of his Satphone being on his person. Then he realized, "Damn! I left it at the hotel!" and used Hiraishin Tama no Jutsu to speed back to the hotel.

* * *

An hour later, the Hokage's office Communications Reception department had made contact with Naruto calling from his Satphone. With security clearances passed, Naruto asked to speak with Hinata. After about 30 minutes wait, Hinata was finally put on the line.

"Hello?"

"Hinata-chan? It's Naruto."

"Naruto-kun! Is everything all right with you?"

"Yeah, no problems here. But I have a favor to ask."

"What is it, Naruto-kun?"

"I forgot I was recieving Arms shipments this week, and since I'm gone, I won't be able to take them in. Kyle, Ryan, and Ike are all busy doing Recon flights along the border, and they don't get to go to the house all that often. I trust you the most with my belongings, Hinata-chan, so I'm hoping you can take care of this for me. Let the council know they have to charge me for this one as a D-rank mission."

"Of course I will, Naruto-kun." said Hinata.

"Excellent." replied Naruto. "Ok, so at my house, there is a spare key in a compartment under the doormat. Use that to enter the house. If you could watch over my place for the week while the guys and I are away, that'd be super. The kitchen is stocked, the bedrooms made, so make yourself at home. Just let your father know I asked you to watch over my place."

"Will do, Naruto-kun. You can rest easy."

"Not if I have to work on the Rasengan. Anyway, love you, Hina-chan."

"Love you too, Naru-kun."

"See you round."

CLICK

* * *

With the call finished, Naruto concentrated on re-forming his Rasengan, opening his right hand once again and holding it out as he gathered chakra.

"Form, damn you." muttered Naruto. As if responding to his voice, the Chakra immediately began to gather in a near-spherical shape. He eased some Chakra from his left hand into the sphere as it began to spin faster and faster until it glowed a bright blue.

"All right then. Let's see if I can keep you in one piece."

Naruto moved his other hand away and tried to maintain the shape of his Rasengan. it worked for about three seconds before the Chakra disappated with a slightly violent spin.

"Hm. Let's see if we can't do that longer..."

And so, Naruto spent the rest of the day trying to increase the duration that the Rasengan would stay in its spherical shape. By sundown, Naruto had a 30-second window in which to power up a Rasengan and use it.

* * *

As the second day broke into dawn, Naruto got out of bed and prepared to see how fast he could mold chakra, spin it, and form it into a Rasengan. Meanwhile, things were a different story back in Konoha. Hinata, who had already gotten the o.k. from her father and the council to watch over Naruto's house as a mini D-rank mission, rose out of bed from the guest bedroom. After a quick shower, she went downstairs clothed in a simple black T-shirt and a pair of loose training pants. She decide to explore the house, taking advantage of the fact that it was her duty to take care of it while Naruto and his old friends were gone for the time being. She made her way to the Firing Range, where she simply took in the sight of the sheer volume of firearms Naruto kept in stock at any given time. This made her wonder, "Why does Naruto-kun need more guns when he already has so many?"

She then looked down the firing range, noting the man-sized targets up and ready for usage. Hinata then remembered the twin handguns Naruto gave her as a present some time ago. It had been a long while since she last used either of the pistols, and here she was, at a gun range, with plenty of targets to shoot. Without further contemplation, she went back upstairs and retrieved her pistols and brought them down to the range, loading both of them and preparing to fire. She squeezed the triggers simultaneously and stumbled a little bit. Regaining her footing, she locked her arms in place and kept firing both of them until the magazines in either pistol were empty. Pressing the "retrieve" button on her firing lane's counter, her practice target was electrically winched back to her. The results were less than satisfactory, with most of the shots being on the outer, less lethal zones. At most, one, maybe two "kill" shots were made out of 14 shots fired, and those were lucky shots at best.

_'Perhaps if I fired them one after the other, my shots would be more accurate. Only one way to find out...'_

Hinata loaded a magazine into each pistol again and sent a fresh target downrange. putting on her hearing protection, shooting glasses, and releasing the slides, she took aim and fired the right-hand pistol, then the left, and continued alternating until the ammunition ran out. She retrieved the target again, this time, with better results. Only a few rounds were not in a position to seriously injure a human being. The majority of the bullets, however, were more or less deposited into the target's kill zone, the center of its mass.

_'Better.'_ thought Hinata, but then shaking her head. _'Practice makes perfect, though, and this good grouping, for all I know, could be sheer luck. I'm nowhere near Naruto-kun's level. Not yet. I need to keep practicing, even if it means having my wrists ache by the end of the day.'_

Hinata was about to load yet another pair of 7-round magazines into her pistols and send a new target downrange when she heard the doorbell ring. She placed her weapons down, slides open, and ran upstairs to the front door. checking through the security viewer, she saw a deliveryman dressed in a gray uniform with a large truck the size of a moving van behind him.

"Who is it?" asked Hinata clearly.

"This is a delivery to a Mr. Uzumaki from Robinson Armaments. According to the list they have sent me, he ordered 10 RAV-02 assault rifles from them, all chambered in 7.62x39mm."

"That's about right." replied Hinata, checking the list Naruto had given her over the phone. She opened the door and spoke to the deliveryman further.

"I apologize, but Mr. Uzumaki is not home this week, so I have been asked to take care of his home while he's gone."

"That's no problem at all, as long as he's authorized someone to sign for his weapons shipments." replied the deliveryman, turning over a digital clipboard to Hinata. "Just sign here and tell me where this crate of rifles is gonna go."

"In the living room."

"All right, then."

As Hinata signed for the crate, the deliveryman wheeled the large wooden crate into the living room and set it down where it wouldn't impede foot traffic through the area before taking back the clipboard, bowing to Hinata, and then getting in the truck to drive off. Hinata shut the door and then went back downstairs to keep practicing her dual-wielding accuracy.

------------------

Back with Naruto, the firearm specialist had managed to put together a sturdy, clean Rasengan in the span of 15-20 seconds. While that was an impressive feat, Naruto was determined to form it in 10 seconds or less. Time in combat was a finite resource. getting up from his rest, Naruto pulled out his stopwatch and reset it. As he began feeling the Chakra gather in his hand, he started the stopwatch and quickly tried to form it into one that was stable and powerful. By the time he stopped the clock, 9.5 seconds had elapsed. Naruto smiled. Seems like if he was determined enough, he could accomplish it. But at this point, it was getting late in the day. He needed food and sleep. Tomorrow would be a different challenge.

-----------------

The next dawn, Hinata rose from bed early again, looking to get in more target practice. A quick shower and breakfast, and she was off to the range to improve her aim. At the range, she found another advantage to being Naruto's significant other. Because her boyfriend was extremely well armed and stocked enough weapons to outfit a small army, she had the advantage of having access to nearly limitless ammunition. She had gone through 15 targets, 10 pairs of magazines, and still had plenty of ammunition to spare, so long as she refilled the magazines. She was about to load another pair of magazines when the doorbell rang. Another shipment, another crate that would occupy the living room. Hinata went to the door, looking through the security viewer to find the same man, same truck, and as usual, a crate filled with weapons on the other side of the door.

"Delivery to Mr. Uzumaki, care of Heckler & Koch Defense Systems. I have a shipment of five HK417 Recce Model Designated Marksman Rifles, plus spare magazines and optics." stated the deliveryman in monotone.

"That's on the list." replied Hinata, unlocking and opening the door.

"Where would you like these to be put?"

"Living room, like yesterday. I'll sign for these."

"This place is gonna be cluttered soon."

------------------

Miles away from Konoha, Naruto was already up and about, practicing size and power control. It was not an easy task. For the time being, it seemed that the power of his Rasengans were proportionate to their size. It was frustrating, not being able to use one of his father's jutsu while fooling an opponent. Naruto wanted the element of surprise and deception. He wanted a cannonball-sized Rasengan that could do no more than move an opponent a few feet without blunt force trauma, and a tiny, concealable orange-sized Rasengan that could whip its unlucky target as far as two city blocks, if not more. Problem was, he was so used to keeping a steady amount of chakra. A small bout of impatient, scowl-faced brainstorming resulted in a solution in which he mentally kicked himself for not seeing the possibility sooner.

"Duh!" thought Naruto aloud. "I just need to drop or increase the amount of Chakra at the last moment!

With this new thinking in mind, Naruto breezed through this part of his training. He started making a small, puny, weak Rasengan, and upon contact with his target tree, increased its energy. The Rasengan penetrated through the tree trunk and flew off to blast holes in several more trees.

"Awesome." commented Naruto, looking at the hand that just let a destructive jutsu fly. "Let's try the opposite, now."

Naruto charged an especially large-sized Rasengan, and running to a nearby tree, slammed it into the trunk, dropping its power significantly as he did so. The result was that the underpowered Rasengan merely stripped off the bark, exposing the healthy white wood beneath.

"Excellent. I'll definitely have the Rasengan mastered in no time! And for sure, Tsunade-obaa-san is gonna lose that necklace of hers. I'll show her a thing or two about insulting the position of Hokage..."

Naruto practiced and practiced the rest of the day, perfecting his power manipulation technique as much as he could.

* * *

The next day, Hinata woke up from another peaceful slumber in the guest room and went about her morning routine. Over the past few days, her aim had improved significantly while dual-wielding, all thanks to consistent practice. Reloading efficiently was now second nature to her, the muscle memory of inserting a full magazine and pressing the slide stop to chamber the first round completely ingrained into her arms. For about an hour with breaks in between targets, Hinata would fire steadily, piling up casings on the firing range floor. At around 9:00 am, the doorbell rang once again. Safing her pistols, ejecting the magazines, and clearing the chambers of any unfired rounds, she set the twin .45's slides-open on her firing lane counter and dashed upstairs. The same procedure as the previous days occurred, and this was the final delivery.

"Delivery for Mr. Uzumaki, care of Izhevsk Mechanical Works. It appears that Mr. Uzumaki has ordered two Saiga-12 Automatic shotguns, eight AK-47 assault rifles, eight AKS-74U carbines, two AK-104 assault rifles, and three PP-19 Bizon submachine guns."

"That checks out. Bring them in here."

"In the living room?"

"Yes."

Hinata opened the door, and the deliveryman wheeled in the large crate and set it on the carpeted floor as gently as possible.

"I don't know how you'll manage to move around with all this stuff, but I'm not paid to give housekeeping advice. Please sign the electronic clipboard, and I'll be on my way."

Hinata signed for the delivery, and with a tip of his hat, the courier left. As the sound of his truck's diesel engine faded into the distance, curiosity got the better of Hinata, and she opened up the crate and removed an unloaded AK-47. Compared to her dual pistols, the AK-47, made out of stamped sheet metal and pine wood, was considerably heavier. Accompanying the AK-47 was a short instruction manual, featuring how to operate and disassemble the weapon. She glanced carefully at it and then looked at the rifle in her hands.

"Hmm, can't be that hard..."

And thus, Hinata bravely pressed in a metal button and popped off the receiver cover...

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Naruto, the boy awoke to face the deadline of his bet with Tsunade. Strangely, Jiraiya wasn't there yet, but Naruto was sure the elder pervert could take care of himself. Using a summoning scroll, Naruto replaced the broken ceramic armor plates that were irrevocably destroyed by Tsunade days earlier. He also made sure he had loaded all his magazines, expecting a trip home as soon as he proved to Tsunade just what he was capable of. With a final check of his weapons, he secured them to himself and headed for the door.

When he opened it, he found Jiraiya trembling uncontrollably on the floor.

"Naruto...help me..."

----------------

About an hour later, Naruto was now involved in a fight he never expected to have to deal with. When he found Jiraiya at the inn, Naruto was quickly informed of the circumstances occurring. Tsunade had slipped something in Jiraiya's drink the previous night, and now its effect on him left him with impeded motor skills. Despite their best efforts to flush the toxin out of Jiraiya's system, the Frog Sannin was still not to 100 percent fighting capacity. They quickly went off in search of Tsunade and were quickly joined by her companion, Shizune, who had been similarly incapacitated earlier. It was clear to them now that Tsunade intended to deal with Orochimaru, and they immediately moved to stop her before Orochimaru's arms were healed.

Now, Naruto was battling Kabuto one-on-one. As it happened, Jiraiya, now fully restored, had his hands full with Orochimaru and the Snake Sannin's contract summon, Manda. And Tsunade was currently being defended by Naruto himself. The original plan to defend her was for Naruto to use his Ketsueki Bunshin jutsu to create an active security detail that would use Naruto's training and skills learned while working for Blackwater and keep her out of danger by overwhelming the enemy with a hail of lead. As luck would have it, however, Kabuto managed to dispatch them all, forcing Naruto to both fight him and defend Tsunade from being assassinated by Kabuto, which now seemed to be his true intention.

As a hail of kunai flew towards him, Naruto shot them each out of the air using the last magazine in his HK416. He immediately switched to his STI Tactical and continued firing, desperate to end his battle with Kabuto before he himself ran out of bullets. Naruto advanced, moving closer to Kabuto in order to be more accurate with his shots. Kabuto responded by ducking behind a rock. Without warning, a plume of smoke _whooshed_ out from behind the rock, and Naruto was met with a rattling report he was all-too familiar with. Naruto dodged out of the way in time and got back up to a knee, and he saw Kabuto confidently stroll towards him with an AK-47 assault rifle in hand. Naruto had no idea where he got it, but he could tell that Kabuto was quite smart. Despite having no formal training, Kabuto's handling of the assault rifle was perfect. The older boy held the butt of the AK to his shoulder instead of firing from the hip. No doubt about it, Kabuto was clearly more well-disciplined than some third-world child soldier.

"Give it up, Naruto. You can't win against me anymore. It doesn't matter how good you are, the odds are stacked in my favor. I've got an assault rifle with more range and ammunition than your handgun. You already used up the last of your other weapon's ammunition, and you're probably down to half the magazine in your handgun. So why not just do us all a favor and surrender already?"

"Okay, so you got yourself a hot new weapon." replied Naruto. "A good choice nonetheless, I'll give you that. But you don't have nearly an ounce of the experience I have. As far as I'm concerned, you're still just an irresponsible rookie."

"We'll see who's the rookie when you've got holes through your head and chest!" threatened Kabuto, who placed his finger on the trigger. Naruto saw this and shifted his aim. He fired a single round that tore off the bottom of the magazine, causing all the remaining ammunition in the AK-47 to fall out. Kabuto was shocked for a moment, and as he moved to swap in a new, undamaged magazine, Naruto shot out the top part of the front handguard , effectively removing the small gas tube that allowed the weapon to automatically cycle. Naruto adjusted his aim again, and this time placed a round into the rear area of the receiver cover, destroying the guide rod for the recoil spring. He then directed a third shot at the area just above the weapon's trigger, shattering the internal hammer that slammed into the firing pin mounted on the bolt carrier assembly.

"Good luck shooting with a broken gun, Kabuto." announced Naruto, holding his smoking STI tactical. "I just took out your gas port, so your weapon won't cycle on full-auto or semi-auto, your recoil spring guide's been removed, and so it won't advance even as a straight-pull bolt action system, and I also took out the hammer, so now, those rounds in your fresh magazine are dead weight."

"I-impossible! A shot like that is a one in a million chance! There's no way someone like you could do that so quickly!" refuted Kabuto, the disabled AK in his hands shaking.

"You should know never to mess with a gunslinger such as myself." spat Naruto coolly. "Face it, when it comes to firearms, you're several hundred years too early to beat me." he added, spreading his arms wide, making himself an easy target.

"You'll eat those words, fox brat!" yelled Kabuto, taking aim and squeezing the trigger of the AK-47. Much to his shock and surprise, all he got was a hollow 'click'. He tried again and got the same response. Naruto smirked at his frustration.

"Like I said, several hundred years too early." repeated Naruto, raising his STI Tactical and placing a round in Kabuto's left shoulder. This only seemed to enrage Orochimaru's servant, and he pulled out a kunai and charged towards Naruto and Tsunade. As the bespectacled ninja closed in, he thrust the knife forward and was aiming to kill when he was stopped in his tracks. He looked at his hand and saw Naruto clutching his fist with the kunai slowly being pushed away as Naruto used his wrist to twist Kabuto's fist, and by proxy, the kunai, the other way. Behind Naruto appeared a Kage Bunshin currently busy spinning Chakra in Naruto's free hand, which had holstered his pistol a second earlier.

"As long as there is a breath in my body, I won't allow harm to come to those I must protect!" declared Naruto, Tsunade looking at him from behind in disbelief at what he was accomplishing. The orb building in his right hand had not been seen in many years, and despite only having a week to improve it, the Rasengan was in more or less perfect form. As the orb of Chakra reached full capacity, Naruto held Kabuto's fist tight and slammed the Rasengan into his center of mass, just below the sternum and held it there for a brief few seconds before he let go of Kabuto, sending the older ninja flying several hundred feet away into a rock. Naruto wasted no time in drawing his STI Tactical to administer the coup de grace, carefully lining up Kabuto's stunned form in his sights.

_'Not the most sporting thing to do, but I don't have a choice.' _thought Naruto as he was about to pull the trigger. Suddenly, he felt his body quaver and his sights began to shake uncontrollably. His muscles were beginning to spasm and it was getting difficult to keep his sights on target.

_'Dammit! What the hell is happening?! I should have put him in the dirt by now!'_

Naruto felt his heart rate begin to decelerate as he slumped to his knees, the world around him going into a blur. He was losing strength fast, and the pistol he once held fell out of his grasp. Kabuto smiled. Taking that Rasengan was worth it if it meant he could nail Naruto with his Chakra Scalpel.

_'This isn't fucking funny. You gotta be kidding me, this is how I'm going to die? I'm not ready to leave this world yet, there's too much I haven't done. I wish I could at least say goodbye to Hinata-chan, but that's looking pretty impossible at this point.' _he thought as his vision began to dim.

The next few moments were foggy. Naruto could faintly see Tsunade knock Kabuto unconscious with her legendary monstrous strength. Another moment, he saw her bent over his body, her hands glowing green with Chakra as she desperately tried to keep him from slipping away into the cold grasp of death. Then, darkness, before suddenly reappearing in a void directly across from Kyuubi.

_" Am..am I dead?"_ Naruto asked, apprehensive of the answer.

"**Almost. Tsunade-san is keeping you alive, if just barely. However, I'm going to make sure you never get into mortal danger this badly ever again."** replied Kyuubi, steeling himself for what he was preparing to do.

"_Wait... I don't like the sound of this. What's it gonna involve?"_

"**I've already dedicated my existence to ensuring your survival. To that end, I am willing to make myself part of whom you are. In other words, I will merge myself with you in body, mind, and soul. You only stand to benefit from this, my boy."**

"_Do I, now?"_

"**Yes. In effect, my legacy will be your legacy as well. You will have complete command over all of my power, you will gain the contract of the Kitsune Clan, and your healing will be increased tenfold."**

"_I...I don't know about this." _said Naruto cautiously._"This will change life for me as I know it, and I really don't know if I should do this."_

"**Then think about those that care for you. Think about Iruka-sensei, and how he would react if you were killed at your age. Think about your friends. Your bloodline. Most of all, think about Hinata, still waiting for you to come home. Do you think for one second that they would simply be able to accept the fact that they've lost someone so important to them?" ** countered Kyuubi.

"_Y-you have a point."_ replied Naruto. _"But what of future generations? Will my children, if I so choose to have them, be affected by this?"_

"**That, I cannot say." **replied the fox.** "You will cross that bridge when you get there, and you will be around to guide them if this moment does shape their lives."**

" I'm counting on you then, Kyuubi." said Naruto with a smirk.

"**Here's to your life, Uzumaki Naruto." ** finished Kyuubi, grasping Naruto's hand. With a sudden flare of Chakra, the void they stood in grew into white light, and it quickly enveloped Naruto before his vision went dark again.

* * *

"_...'s breathing...!"_

"_...'s ... right..!_

"_...-aruto...-ake up..."_

"_Naruto...can you hear me? Open your eyes if you can..."_

When Naruto opened his eyes again, He was greeted by the sight of a relieved Jiraiya and Shizune, and Tsunade's tear-streaked face. Without warning, Naruto was pulled up and squeezed against Tsunade's chest as she hugged the boy tightly.

"Thank Kami-sama, you're alive!" wept Tsunade joyfully.

"Of course I am." replied Naruto, somewhat weakly. "I can't afford to die now, I still have to become Hokage."

"That's right... That's your dream, isn't it?"

Tsunade rubbed Naruto's head and stood up, walking a few feet away, looking at the landscape.

"Naruto-kun, I never would've imagined it, but you've managed to remind me what's important. You've reminded me of what it means to be a shinobi, much less what it means to be a leader. Watching you fight like that to protect me from that four-eyed villain, I was reminded of my youth, somewhat, and I remembered where I came from and what that means to me. So I owe you this."

Tsunade removed her Necklace and placed it around Naruto's own neck.

"Heh, guess that means I won." said Naruto, smirking.

"You did demonstrate your mastery of the Rasengan, Naruto-kun. I have to hold up my end of the bet, right?"

"You mean..."

"Yes, Naruto. I'm going to accept the position of Hokage."

"That's good to hear. I think you'll make a capable leader, Tsunade-sama. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm calling us a ride home." finished Naruto, pulling out his satellite phone. After making the call to Konoha Air Command, the four gathered their belongings from their lodgings and waited patiently as one of the Hind D's was sent to Tanzaku Gai to pick them all up. In minutes, the troop-carrying gunship landed on a grassy plain and the four of them boarded for the quick flight back to Konoha. Aboard the helicopter, Naruto settled into a seat near the open door of the helicopter and strapped himself in. As the helicopter took off and began flying back to Konoha, Naruto settled his empty HK416 across his lap as he gazed out the open door before leaning his head back and closing his eyes to sleep the rest of the way back. Tsunade and Jiraiya watched his behavior with interest.

"Look at him..." observed Tsunade. "He's just like an old soldier who's seen too many battles."

"He _is_ an old soldier, just in a young man's body. I am sure he has seen his share of violence, and he probably will live with that for the rest of his life." replied Jiraiya.

"If that's true, then why does he keep fighting?" asked Shizune with concern.

"It's simple. He holds a sense of duty. Naruto has a patriotic fire burning within him hearkening back to the days of old. His father was like that too, and as you can see, that flame has been passed on to Naruto himself. That is why one day, he _will_ become Hokage, the likes of which the world has never seen."

"That's good." said Tsunade with a smile. "In the meantime, I'll keep the chair warm for him, I suppose."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Tsunade-sama, but you're actually gonna have to work." said Naruto, eyes still closed but now possessing a smug smirk on his face. Tsunade was caught off-guard by this, while Shizune and Jiraiya had a laugh at her expense. The soon-to-be Godaime Hokage sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Cheeky brat."

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**Konoha will finally have a leader again! Sasuke will be healed! The village will rebuild once more! Hinata... knows how to use an AK-47!(?) But what's this? Konohamaru locked himself inside the Hokage's office?! _And_ he's threatening to shoot anyone who comes in? Another crisis has emerged; how will it be solved? Find out in the next chapter, "Changing of the Guard!"**

* * *

Wow, I can't believe it took me this long to update.... What can I say, I didn't have much drive to continue this project, but I thought, what the hey, I should give it a shot. Sorry for the long delay, but don't expect regular updates from me; I have a lot of other stuff going on.


End file.
